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QUESTIONS 

ANSWERED 











QUESTIONS 

ANSWERED 

GATHERED FROM THE 
QUESTION CORNER DEPARTMENT 
OF THE “SIGNS OF THE TIMES” 


JU^ 

By MILTON C. WILCOX 


"‘Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask 
for the old paths, where is the good way, 
and walk therein, and ye shall find rest 
for your souls.” 


PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA 
Omaha, Nebraska Cristobal, Canal Zone Portland, Oregon 





Copyright, 1938, by 

Pacific Press Publishing Association 


. hi 


©ci A 


115162 


1938 



FE3 2 8 1938 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 


Page 

Introduction. 7 

Section I—The Bible. 9 

Section II—Deity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . . 24 

Section III—Nature of Man. 

Section IV—Prophecy and Second Advent.62 

Section V—The Moral Law.88 

Section VI—Sabbath and Sunday.107 

Section VII—The Ceremonial Law.148 

Section VIII—The Covenants.155 

Section IX—Unpardonable Sin.161 

Section X—Marriage and Divorce.168 

Section XI—Astronomy .176 

Section XII—Satan.177 

Section XIII—Religious Liberty.183 

Section XIV—Christian Experience.185 

Section XV—The Church; Its Ordinances .... 195 
Section XVI—Miscellaneous .211 


5 























A FOREWORD 


Surely we have reached a day when the imperative need is for 
a deeper knowledge of the Scriptures and the truths therein con¬ 
tained. We have tried almost every human suggestion for the 
betterment of mankind, and yet we find ourselves baffled at every 
turn by problems apparently insoluble. In such a time as this, 
should we not go back to God’s revelation in the Bible, and make 
diligent search there for principles that will guide us through the 
turbulent and perplexing days that lie ahead before our Lord 
shall come? 

This volume is offered to help you in your study of the Scrip¬ 
tures. The material first appeared in that great religious weekly, 
the Signs of the Times, when it was so ably edited by Milton C. 
Wilcox, recently gone to his rest. 

The answers given to actual questions then sent in to the editor 
make no pretense to infallibility. In the search for truth sorry in¬ 
deed is the man who believes he knows it all, for “the path of the 
righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and more 
unto the perfect day.” Prov. 4:18, A. R. V. The answers are in¬ 
tended to inspire you to delve further into your own Bible, rather 
than to be taken as ex-cathedra, dogmatic, and inflexible assertions. 

May God richly bless you as you open the pages of this book, 
and study your Bible with new interest and stimulation. 

The Publishers. 


7 


Throughout this boo\, unless other¬ 
wise noted, the texts used are from 
the King fames and the Revised 
Versions of the Bible, the author us¬ 
ing the wording which most clearly 
conveys the thought in present-day 
diction. 


Section I 


THE BIBLE 

When Was the Bible Compiled? 

The Old Testament canon was compiled under the direction of 
Ezra and Nehemiah. Of the New Testament it may be said that 
from the days of the apostles the Gospels and Epistles were read 
in the churches, and generally received. “We possess in the Latin 
Fragment, published by Muratori in 1740, something like a full list 
of the New Testament Scriptures from a writer who describes 
himself as contemporary with Pius, Bishop of Rome about 150 a. d. 
A similar list may be made out from the Syriac Version, which can 
hardly be later than the second century. . . . The great Athana¬ 
sius [296-373 a. d.] enumerates unhesitatingly all the Scriptures of 
the New Testament as we have them now; and so do the Latin 
‘fathers’ Augustine and Jerome.”— S. S. Teacher s Combination 
Bible Helps, section 14, page 34. In the Sinaitic MS. of the fourth 
century, the New Testament is entire. The books of the New Tes¬ 
tament were all received as they were written, but it took some 
little time to bring them all together. 

Is Any Part of the Bible Obsolete? 

How much of the Bible is done away? Is it to be ac¬ 
cepted in its entirety by men today? 

The whole Bible is for man now. Every part has its lesson for 
these days, though not all its laws are binding. To illustrate: God 
commanded men to offer sacrifices of different kinds for different 
purposes. He does not now ask us to offer these sacrifices, for they 
have all been met in Christ Jesus. Yet from each of these sacrificial 
laws we may learn important lessons concerning God’s require¬ 
ments, our duty, God’s love, and Christ’s offering. The sin offer¬ 
ing, the trespass offering, the burnt offering, the peace offering, 
teach precious lessons of how repulsive sin should be in our sight, 


9 


10 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

how utterly we should renounce it, how great and effectual are 
God’s love and grace. The injunction to circumcise is not now 
binding; but the very law and the circumstances of its giving show 
how absolutely we should put off the domination of the body, of 
the flesh. Some of these laws expired by limitation; but the lessons 
of the laws, and the conditions which called them forth, still abide. 
For example, it is no one’s duty to warn now of a coming deluge, 
but the lesson of the Deluge still remains. There are many other 
illustrations. But one law forever abides, God’s great Constitution, 
Heaven’s Magna Charta, summarily comprehended in the Ten 
Commandments; and the only Saviour from sin is Jesus Christ 
our Lord. 

Effect of Multiplied Translations. 

Are not the different versions of the Bible, with their 
different renderings, likely to engender doubt as to the 
inspiration and reliability of any of them? 

It does not so seem to us, any more than does the rendering of 
the Scriptures into almost one thousand languages and dialects into 
which they have been translated. To us it confirms the Scriptures. 
All the differences that there are in all the various renderings into 
English do not in any way change the teaching of the Bible. They 
may alter some texts. A better rendering may show that some text 
which has been used to support some doctrine does not support it; 
and yet if the doctrine is worthy of support, there will be other 
scriptures sufficient, or the general teaching of the Bible will sup¬ 
port it. 

The whole aim of the child of God ought not to be to desire a 
translation that is in harmony with his views; his whole soul ought 
to go out into the question, What does the Father say in His word ? 
And the best translation that he could get from the earlier copies 
ought to be the one which would best satisfy ? 

The King James, or Authorized Version, was translated from 
what would be called late copies of the original; that is, copies of 
copies of copies for centuries. The American Revised Version has 


THE BIBLE 


11 


been compared with the very earliest original copies which have 
been found. This is especially true of the New Testament. These 
copies clearly show that they were very early copies, much nearer 
the time of our Lord. One was found, for instance, in a convent 
near Mount Sinai; another one in the Vatican in Rome; another 
in Alexandria, Egypt; all entirely different copies, one not copied 
from the other, and each confirming the other. Indeed, all the 
great New Testament manuscripts have been unearthed since the 
Authorized Version was put out in 1611. 

Every additional copy of this kind, every additional good trans¬ 
lation, confirms the Scriptures of truth, leads some to read who 
might not otherwise read, and tends to spread abroad the knowl¬ 
edge and glory of God. 

It is not difficult to imagine how we would feel if we were to 
receive a letter from a dear relative who had left us a large fortune 
on certain conditions; that letter written in the Bengali language, 
for instance, or the Sanskrit, a language of which we are totally 
ignorant. That letter had been copied several times before it 
reached us, our copy perhaps being the fifteenth or twentieth which 
had been made. Naturally we would go to the best scholar we 
knew to get a translation. That translation furnishes us very much 
satisfaction and joy; but it leaves some doubts, we are not clear in 
regard to the meaning of some passages. We find that there are 
earlier copies, copies which are nearer the time of the writing of 
that letter. We search and find those; we take them to still other 
scholars. The translation of these earlier copies confirms us all the 
more in the blessings and bounties which came to us through that 
letter. We learn of still earlier copies, of still better masters of the 
language in which the letter was written. Again we obtain a trans¬ 
lation. We find different rendering sometimes, very minor differ¬ 
ences; but in all the great things of which the letter speaks, there 
is no difference. Would any of these translations lead us to doubt? 
Nay, but each would confirm all the others, and all would confirm 
and establish our faith that the letter was what it purported to be, 
and that the message which it brought to us was in every wise 
genuine. 


12 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

The Scripture Canon. 

When, by whom, and by what authority, whether by 
church or by state, were the original manuscripts collected 
and compiled and dedicated to the world as the word of 
God? What means were used to separate the inspired 
from the uninspired, and to decide concerning the various 
parts of our Bible? 

The Bible is a growth. It is not the product of one man or a 
council or a decree from some human authority. For instance, the 
Pentateuch, the five books of Moses, was accepted by God’s people 
to the time of Christ. God’s law in that book constituted the test 
of later prophets and their writings. One book after another was 
added till we come to the close of Old Testament times. After the 
Babylonian captivity, all the books over which there was no ques¬ 
tion, which were generally accepted, were collated and arranged 
by Ezra, Nehemiah, and their colaborers. These were the Holy 
Scriptures in the time of our Lord. They are referred to by Jose¬ 
phus, in “Against Apion,” and are everywhere approved by Jesus. 
The New Testament was added in the same way, book by book, 
epistle by epistle, from men filled by the Spirit of God, and bearing 
the eternal test, “To the law and to the testimony.” Before any 
council acted upon the Scripture canon, as early as 170 a. d., prac¬ 
tically all the books as we now have them were accepted as accord¬ 
ing to the Scripture rule by the early church, while as many others 
were rejected. Clement, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Origen, and 
others mention different books. The famous “Muratorian Frag¬ 
ment on the Canon” (170 a. d.) mentions nearly all the books of 
the New Testament. It mentions the Gospels of Luke and John, 
the Acts, the thirteen epistles of Paul, 1 and 2 John, Jude, the Reve¬ 
lation. It omits several that are mentioned by others. The Peshito 
Syriac list of about the same age includes all except 2 Peter, 2 and 3 
John, Jude, and the Revelation. The old Italian version, of about 
the same time, the Bible used by the North African churches, con¬ 
tained all our New Testament books except Hebrews, 2 Peter, and 
James. Later church councils confirmed our present list, and added 
others rejected by earlier Christians. 


THE BIBLE 


13 


Facts Regarding the Bible. 

Do you consider the whole Bible written by inspira¬ 
tion? Some of our teachers say that only part of it is in¬ 
spired. 

We have no reason to regard any part of the Bible as more in¬ 
spired than any other parts. Concerning the Old Testament Scrip¬ 
tures, the Scriptures that were in existence in the days of the apostle 
Paul—for the New Testament was not written then—we read, 
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,”—literally, “God- 
breathed.” 2 Tim. 3:16. We do not understand by this, however, 
that the translation is inspired, but the original Scriptures are in¬ 
spired. The translation is simply turning the Scriptures into an¬ 
other language. In Acts 1 :i6, in referring to the Psalms, the apostle 
does not say that they were David’s words, but “The Holy Spirit 
spake before by the mouth of David.” The same thought is ex¬ 
pressed in Hebrews 3:7. Peter tells us that “holy men of God spake 
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:21. The apostle 
Paul says of his own writings, “Which things also we speak, not 
in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit 
teacheth.” 1 Cor. 2:13. 

In many instances, inspiration records the words of others; and 
many times the words of others recorded in the Scriptures are not 
inspiration. For instance, we read in Genesis 3 that Satan said so 
and so. Satan’s words were not God-breathed, but the record that 
tells us about them is. So in the case of some of Job’s friends. They 
said many good things. They made wrong application of the good 
things. Their words were not necessarily inspired, but the record 
that gives their words is inspired. 

If man were to judge as to what is inspired and what is not 
inspired, in a little while all the word of God would be set aside. 
Whatever did not agree with him, or with his judgment, or with 
his tastes, or with his desires, would be set aside as not of inspira¬ 
tion. Others would reject other parts, until nothing would be left 
of the Bible but the covers. Better it is, it seems to us, to regard the 
word even as our Lord Jesus Christ did. He ever spoke of it rev- 


2 


14 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

erently. He never questioned. He quoted from Isaiah and Jere¬ 
miah, from the Psalms, from Moses; but He always regarded it as 
the word of God. 

The Apocrypha. 

Upon what authority were the books of the Apocrypha 
eliminated from the Scriptures and rated as secular, while 
the rest are rated as inspired? 

The books of the Apocrypha were not in the Jewish Scriptures 
that were held to be sacred,— the Scriptures that Jesus learned. 

They sprang out of that time in the Jewish church concededly 
after prophets had ceased; that is, after Malachi. 

They were not written in the Hebrew language. 

Their style, their character, their teaching, are not up to the 
standard of the law and the testimony. This is evident to any de¬ 
vout Bible reader. 

They are considered valuable as throwing light upon the time 
that produced them, and the books of Maccabees are valuable as 
history. 

Catholic Version of the Bible. 

I would like to know where I can secure a copy of the 
“Vatican version” of the Bible, or how I can find out what 
it says on certain scriptures. I would like especially to 
know how it translates Matthew 28:19. 

There were numerous Latin versions of the Scriptures in the 
early centuries, and some of them were not considered as satisfac¬ 
tory reproductions of the original text; so in the latter part of the 
fourth century and the first part of the fifth, Jerome, who was 
reckoned as an accomplished scholar, undertook the careful trans¬ 
lation of the Scriptures into the Latin. His first translations of the 
Old Testament were from the Septuagint; but these met with criti¬ 
cism, and he finally undertook the work of making a more careful 
translation into the Latin from the original Hebrew. Jerome’s 
Vulgate translation came to be the standard of the Catholic Church, 


THE BIBLE 


15 


having been finally adopted by the Council of Trent. Some of the 
earliest English translations were made from this Latin text. When 
the Reformation was at its height, the Catholic Church concluded 
that it was necessary for them to make a translation of the Scrip¬ 
tures into the English. This was begun at the college in Douay, in 
Flanders. The college for a time was driven from Douay to 
Reims; and while it was at Reims, the New Testament was pub¬ 
lished; hence the name, “The Reims New Testament.” The col¬ 
lege finally returned to Douay, and the complete Bible was pub¬ 
lished. The Douay is the authoritative Catholic version of the 
English Bible. It may be purchased at almost any large bookstore. 

In the Douay Version, Matthew 28:19 rea ^s, “Going therefore, 
teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and 
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” It will be seen that that text 
does not materially differ from the translation in our Authorized 
Version; and the same is true, in the main, throughout the Bible. 

Difference in Versions. 1 John 5:7, 8. 

The King James Version renders 1 John 5:7, 8: “There 
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, 
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there 
are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the 
water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” 

But the American Revised Version reads thus: “It is 
the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is the 
truth. For there are three who bear witness, the Spirit, 
and the water, and the blood: and the three agree in one.” 

Why is the difference? Was something added in the one, 
or was it left out in the other? 

There are a few very slight differences in the various original 
manuscripts that have been preserved of the different books of the 
Bible; and this is one of those places where a difference occurs. 
Some of the best Greek manuscripts have it as translated in the 
King James Version, while others have it as it is given in the Re¬ 
vised. Boothroyd’s and Rotherham’s Translations both omit verse 
7. The Syriac retains the verse in the original, but encloses it in 
brackets. So also does Young’s. 


16 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

But the marvelous thing to the student of the Bible is that there 
are so few differences in these original manuscripts, and that none 
of these differences are really essential. Whether you follow the 
King James Version or the Revised, in this text or in any other, you 
get practically the same great truth. There is nothing in this text, 
in either one of these versions, but that is abundantly and clearly 
taught in other portions of the Sacred Word. 

God’s great Book was copied by hundreds of hands, into many 
languages, during the first centuries of the Christian era. These 
original manuscripts, in all these various tongues, as they have 
been passed on to us, are in substantial agreement. There is no 
disagreement that amounts to a contradiction. This shows the 
miraculous care that God has had for His word. No other book 
has passed through such an ordeal and come out with such a clear 
testimony. The way in which the Book has been preserved shows 
that it is divine. 

It will be found not only profitable but intensely interesting to 
secure and read Dr. Gaussen’s “Inspiration of the Bible.” Another 
volume which gives the background and history of all the versions 
is “The Ancestry of Our English Bible,” by Ira M. Price, Ph. D. 
The evidence that God’s word has been miraculously preserved is 
of the clearest character. a. o. t. 


Reading the Old Testament Scriptures. 

Should we not read the Old Testament? 

Most certainly we should read the Old Testament Scriptures. 
The Master says, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye 
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John 5139. 
When the Master made that statement, the only Scriptures in ex¬ 
istence were the Old Testament writings. When He was on the 
way to Emmaus with two of His disciples, after His crucifixion 
and resurrection, He told them: “These are the words which I 
spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be 
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the proph- 


THE BIBLE 


17 


ets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me. Then opened He their 
understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and 
said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to 
suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day.” Luke 24:44-46. 
Christ taught the Scriptures that were written by Moses, and by 
the prophets, and by David, and by the others who wrote the 
Psalms. This example and teaching of Christ were after His resur¬ 
rection, and therefore unquestionably in the new dispensation. It 
is always safe to follow the example of the Great Pattern. 


The End and the Beginning. 

Will you please explain Zechariah 14:16-21? 

It is impossible to take a few passages of Scripture, especially 
some of the obscure prophecies of the Old Testament, and make 
them clear in and of themselves. In all the great promises of God, 
it is well for us to remember what the apostle says in Ephesians 
3:3-6,—that in time past these things were not understood as they 
were revealed later to the apostles and prophets by God’s Spirit; and 
it is only in the light of the clearer later revelations that we may 
read the prophecies of God to His people in the past. 

Some of those prophecies were fulfilled to Israel in the restora¬ 
tion of Jerusalem and the return from Babylon. Some of them 
were dependent upon conditions. See the conditions stated in Jere¬ 
miah 18:7-10, and elsewhere. If Israel complied with the condi¬ 
tions, the promises were theirs. If they failed to comply, certainly 
they could not ask God to fulfill His part. 

Some of the prophecies, if fulfilled at all, must be fulfilled in 
harmony with the conditions of the new covenant, in times when 
all types had passed away. The book of Zechariah contains prophe¬ 
cies of these types. The passage under question points to that time 
when God’s children have gained complete victory over all their 
foes, and the end of sin has come, and the beginning of the reign 
of righteousness is inaugurated. Other passages tell us how all the 
nations will come up against Jerusalem to fight. 


18 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Those who are left of all the nations will be God’s remnant He 
has gathered out, and they will go from year to year to worship the 
King, the Lord of hosts. All the families that will not come up 
carrying us back just a little to the time when the invitation was 
abroad—upon them the latter rain of God’s Spirit will not fall. 
They shall perish. Though they may belong to some great nation, 
like Egypt, and have received great light, they shall be smitten with 
the plagues. 

On the other hand, in God’s service in that future time, there 
will be holiness; even everything that takes part in that service will 
be holy. Then in the service of God that shall follow throughout 
eternity there shall come in no more corruption. The Canaanites 
had crept in among the children of Israel. See Ezra and Nehemiah 
to show how corruption had come into the very service of the tem¬ 
ple. But that would be so no more in the glorious reign that lies 
before. The passage itself shows that the long reign of sin will end, 
and only those will have part in the reign of righteousness who have 
met God’s conditions. 

Judas Maccabeus. 

Who was Judas Maccabeus? And are the books of 
the Maccabees a part of Scripture? 

The Maccabees are sometimes called Hasmoneans, and some¬ 
times Asmoneans, from Hashmon, the great-grandfather of Matta- 
thias. But the family received their name from the title given to 
Judas, the third son of Mattathias. He was called Judas Maccabeus, 
that is, Judas the Hammerer, because of his vigorous assaults upon 
the Syrians. The title gradually included all the members of the 
family of Mattathias and their descendants. The family came into 
leadership against the attempt of Antiochus Epiphanes to force 
Greek worship upon the Jews in the years 175 to 164 b. c. The revolt 
arose in the little town of Modin, where Mattathias and his five 
sons were living. The idolatrous altar was overturned, and Matta¬ 
thias and his five sons were forced to flee to the mountains. In the 
year 167 b. c. the leadership was committed to Judas; and, under the 


THE BIBLE 


19 


loyal Jews who supported him, he won victory after victory, and 
three years afterward restored the temple worship. Then he began 
to fight for political independence, and at last fell in the Battle of 
Eleasa in the year 161 b. c. His brother Jonathan succeeded him. 
They were in a way kings, and yet later more or less dependent 
upon Rome. The books of the Maccabees relate the history of those 
times. They are not considered as inspired Scriptures. In one place 
prayer for the dead is spoken of; but even the translation of this is 
questionable. They were doubtless brave, loyal men. Especially 
was this true of Judas; but they are in nowise guides for us in 
theology, nor are the writings to be taken as inspired Scripture. 

Is Revelation 20:5 Spurious? 

The first sentence of Revelation 20 : 5 , “The rest of the 
dead lived not again until the thousand years were fin¬ 
ished,” is by some said to be spurious, not being found in 
the earliest manuscripts, or before the fourth century. 

What ground is there for this? 

We reply in brief: The earliest New Testament manuscripts are 
as follows: 1. The Codex Sinaiticus, now in the British Museum in 
London. It contains the whole of the New Testament. It was dis¬ 
covered by Tischendorf in the monastery of St. Catherine, on Mount 
Sinai, in 1859. It was written, in all probability, in the fourth cen¬ 
tury, not later than the fifth. It once contained the whole Bible. 

2. The Codex Alexandrinus, now in the British Museum, writ¬ 
ten in the fifth century. It contains the whole Bible. 

3. The Codex Vatic anus, now in the Vatican, known also as 
Vatican MS. No. 1209. It was probably written in the latter part 
of the fourth century or in the fifth. It contains the whole Bible, 
with exceptions of parts of the New Testament, among which is 
the Apocalypse. 

4. The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. This is what is called a 
“palimpsest,” the original writing of which has been erased in order 
to use the parchment for another. In this manuscript part of a 
Greek Bible was used on which to write some of the works of 


20 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Ephraem, a Syrian “father.” (So have the “fathers” in other in¬ 
stances obliterated the word.) But by chemical reagents the old 
writing has been partially restored. It was written in the fifth cen¬ 
tury, and contains about two thirds of the New Testament. 

5. Then we have the Peshito Syriac version; but some scholars 
contend that “there were no [Syriac] copies extant which were 
written so early as the oldest of the Greek manuscripts.” 

Now of the above, Revelation 20:5 is found in the first, we be¬ 
lieve, and in the second and fourth. The third does not contain the 
Revelation at all. The Syriac omits the passage, and so does Vati¬ 
can MS. No. 1160, of the eleventh century. Thus the three oldest 
Greek copies which contain the Revelation at all have the text. The 
Emphatic Diaglott, based on Griesbach’s text, has the following 
footnote on the first part of Revelation 20:5: “These words were 
probably omitted by oversight in Vatican MS. [No. 1160] as they 
are found in A, B, C, though not in the Syriac.” By “A” is meant 
Codex Alexandrinus; by “B,” Codex Vaticanus, No. 2066, of the 
seventh or eighth century; by “C,” Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. 
Finally, the best Greek text, that of Westcott and Hort, contains 
the passage; and neither have the Revised Versions nor any of the 
critics, so far as we know, even questioned it. The revisers adopted 
for their revision the text “for which the evidence is decidedly pre¬ 
ponderating;” and when that differed from the Greek text “from 
which the Authorized Version was made, the alteration be ex¬ 
pressed in the margin.” (See Preface to Revised New Testament, 
Division II, par. 4.) But there is not even an indication of doubt 
over Revelation 2015. The clause in question is considered spurious 
only by those who have a doctrine to prove which the text con¬ 
demns. 

"The Book of Jasher.” Joshua 10:13. 

How could the record of the sun’s standing still be 
written in the book of Jasher before it occurred? Who 
wrote the book of Jasher, and where can I obtain it? 

Joshua was not written till several years after the events occurred 
related in chapter 10. In the meantime the song in the poetical book 


THE BIBLE 


21 


of Jasher may have been written, from which Joshua quotes. The 
word “Jasher” means “The Upright;” and the book seems to have 
been one in which Israel recorded in song the deeds of her heroes. 
See reference to it also in 2 Samuel 1:18. That book, as well as others 
referred to in the Bible, is not now known to exist. There are four 
works extant, claiming to be the book of Jasher, appearing respect¬ 
ively in 1394, x 544 > 1625, and 1751. Of the last, Smith’s Dictionary 
remarks: “A clumsy forgery in English, which first appeared in 
1751, under the title of the ‘Book of Jasher,’ deserves notice solely 
for the unmerited success with which it was palmed off upon the 
public.” 

References in the Revised Version. 

I have an American Standard Revised edition of the 
Bible, and there are some things in the reference column 
I cannot understand. The first place the difficulty appears 
is in Matthew 1:1. After the reference to Isaiah 9:6, is the 
letter “f.,” in small type; then in Matthew 1:7, after ref¬ 
erence to 1 Chronicles 3:10, is a double “f.” (ff.). 

Surely, when we have a good tool or machine, we ought to know 
how to use it. The letter “f.” after a Scripture reference means that 
the verse next following is included; as, for example, “Isaiah 9:6 f.” 
means Isaiah 9:6, 7. The “f.” takes less space than the figure “7” 
and the comma. The double “f.” (ff.) means verses (plural) which 
immediately follow the reference; that is, all the verses which fol¬ 
low and pertain to the subject. For instance, “1 Chronicles 3:10 ff.” 
means “1 Chronicles 3:10-24,” the genealogy of one line of Solo¬ 
mon down through the Captivity to Ezra’s time. 

Interesting Facts About the Bible. 

The Bible has 66 books; 39 in the Old Testament, 27 in the New. 
It has 1,189 chapters; 929 in the Old Testament, 260 in the New. It 
has 31,173 verses; 23,214 in the Old Testament, 7,959 in the New. 
The Apocrypha has 14 books, 183 chapters, 6,081 verses. The mid¬ 
dle verses of the Old Testament are 2 Chronicles 20:17, 18; of the 


22 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

New Testament, Acts 17:17; of the Bible, Psalm 118:8. The origi¬ 
nal language of the Old Testament is Hebrew, with the exception 
of Ezra 4:8 to 6:18 and 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4 to 
7:28, which are Chaldean. The New Testament is Greek, not the 
classical Greek of the scholars, but the Greek used in everyday 
conversation. 


"Fountains” and "Traditions.” 

Please explain the following scriptures: 

“My people have committed two evils; they have for¬ 
saken Me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them 
out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” Jer. 

2:13. “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the tra¬ 
ditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or 
our epistle.” 2 Thess. 2:15. 

Read the context. It meant with Israel of old that they had not 
only forsaken God, the Living Fountain, but had gone after other 
gods, which could be of no more value than broken cisterns. In 
time of need, the gods could give no help; in time of drought, the 
cisterns would furnish no water. The text is just as true in this 
present age concerning those who leave God’s word for the errors 
of men. 

The second text teaches that the brethren in Thessalonica should 
hold fast to the teaching of the apostles, whether by word of mouth 
or by epistle. The word from which “tradition” comes is paradosis, 
and means “delivery, handing over, transmission,” “what is trans¬ 
mitted in the way of teaching, precept, doctrine.” See 1 Corin¬ 
thians 11:2, where the word is translated “ordinances.” The word 
“traditions,” in 2 Thessalonians 2:15, refers to what Christ deliv¬ 
ered over, or transmitted, to His apostles to teach. That we might 
know what was taught by spoken word, God has given us the 
written word. The text does not refer to erroneous tradition which 
claims to be apostolic. All such should be tested by the written 
word. 


THE BIBLE 


23 


Apparent Contradiction Dissolved. 

Please harmonize 2 Samuel 24:24 and 1 Chronicles 
21:25—(1) the names, and (2) the price paid for the 
threshing floor. 

To answer the second query first: Two distinct transactions are 
recorded in the scriptures cited, (a) Fifty shekels of silver were 
paid for the actual threshing floor and the oxen. “So David bought 
the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” 2 Sam¬ 
uel 24:24. And ( b ) six hundred shekels of gold were given for the 
entire place, or property, within which the threshing floor was 
located. “Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may 
build an altar therein unto the Lord: thou shalt grant it me for the 
full price. ... So David gave to Oman for the place six hundred 
shekels of gold by weight.” 1 Chron. 21:22, 25. 

Fifty shekels of silver (at 72 Vit) amounts to $36.25, far too low 
a price for the entire land. Compare the four hundred shekels of 
silver Abraham paid for the field of Machpelah. See Genesis 23. 
The six hundred shekels of gold (at $10.88) was equivalent to 
$6,528, and was the sum paid for the entire hill on which Solomon 
afterward built the temple. See 2 Chron. 3:1. 

As to the question concerning the difference in names, “Ara- 
unah” and “Oman” are merely two forms of the same name. 

Seeming contradictions in Holy Writ usually melt away under 
a close scrutiny of the exact wording and the context of the queried 
passages. 


Section II 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 

Various Texts on the Deity. 

1. How are we to understand the following scrip¬ 
tures: Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 42:8; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Deu¬ 
teronomy 6:4? 

2. Can we conclude, from Revelation 3:14 and Colos- 
sians 1:15, that our Lord Jesus had a beginning, and there 
was a time when God the Father was alone? 

1. Psalm 90:2 would seem to apply to our Lord. The term used 
is not “Jehovah,” but Adonai, which, without question, is applied to 
Christ; and this is the One whom Moses is addressing. He declares, 
“Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” And this is 
in harmony with Micah 5:2. Isaiah 42:8 evidently has reference to 
God. It is Jehovah Himself who speaks: “I am Jehovah, that is 
My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My 
praise unto graven images.” That is the family name of the God¬ 
head. Sometimes our Lord is called Jehovah. This is emphat¬ 
ically true in Jeremiah 23:6. In verse 5, He is called the Branch. 
“In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; 
and this is His name whereby He shall be called: Jehovah our right¬ 
eousness.” 

1 Corinthians 8:6 presents before us the agencies by which the 
earth is created, the relative positions of the two Persons: “To us 
there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we unto 
Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, 
and we through Him.” The same thought is expressed in John 
1 :i-3 and in Colossians 1 :i6,—that all the creation was wrought by 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Deuteronomy 6:4 is simply an expression of the unity of the 
Godhead: “Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.” Many times, when 
mention is made of God, it simply implies the Godhead. Of course, 
there is absolute unity in that, just as truly as though there were but 


2 4 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 25 

one person; and therefore it is spoken of as one. Our Lord’s prayer 
in John 17 indicates the same thing: “As Thou, Father, art in Me, 
and I in Thee.” And then He prays that the same unity may exist 
among His followers. 

2. Yes, some do conclude, from Revelation 3:14, that there was a 
time when the Son did not exist, save in the all-comprehending 
purpose and potency of God. Yet there are others who still hold— 
and there is nothing to the contrary in the text—that “the begin¬ 
ning of the creation of God” means the One in whom the creation 
began, as declared in Colossians 1:17, “He is before all things, and 
in Him all things consist.” The finite cannot grasp the infinite. 
Let this suffice,—that our Lord is God with the Father “from the 
days of eternity;” that “He is before all things, and in Him all 
things consist;” and He brings to all those who believe in Him the 
plenitude of the power of the Deity according to our needs. 

Of course, sometimes expressions such as that used in Colossians 
1:15, “the first-born,” refer to pre-eminence rather than to priority. 
God calls Ephraim His first-born, although Manasseh was the first¬ 
born. He calls Israel His first-born, while Esau was the first-born 
of Isaac. That is, God had adopted these as such. They became 
pre-eminent because of character. So Jesus is called the first-born 
of the dead, and is pre-eminent above them all, and only by His 
power do all the others live. 

The Pre-existence of Christ. 

Was Christ a personal being before He came to this 
earth? 

Whether our Lord existed before He was born of the Virgin 
Mary is a purely Biblical, not philosophical, question. If we de¬ 
pend upon our early teaching, upon human reason, upon some 
theological system, we shall go astray; if we take the literal teach¬ 
ing of the word, there will be no difficulty. Briefly we present the 
following evidences of our Lord’s pre-existence as a personal being: 

When God created the heavens and the earth, He addressed not 
creatures, but someone His equal, possessing creative power. “Let 


26 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.” Gen. 1:26. The 
very term “Elohim” from which “God” is translated, is plural. 

There is one Being, existing at least four hundred years before 
Christ, whom Jehovah designates “My Fellow,” who was in future 
to be smitten. Zech. 13 7. The context clearly shows that the term 
refers to Him who became Jesus, the Great Shepherd of His sheep. 

There is one Person revealed to us in the Old Testament again 
and again, called “the Angel of Jehovah ,” the especial representa¬ 
tive of God in ministering to His children. Of Him the great God 
declares, “My name is in Him.” Ex. 23:21. He is called, in Isaiah 
63:9, “the Angel of His presence.” When this Angel came to Abra¬ 
ham, it is said, “Jehovah appeared unto him.” Gen. 18:1. Jacob met 
Him by the brook Jabbok, in the night of wrestling, and said in 
the morning, “I have seen God face to face.” Gen. 32:22-31. 

This Angel-Jehovah bore a name among the angels; namely, 
Michael, the meaning of which is, “Who is li\e God” He is rep¬ 
resented as a person, one who goes and comes, greater and mightier 
than Gabriel. Dan. 10:13. ^ ac b He is called “Michael the Arch¬ 
angel,” the chief of all the angels. Jude 9. It is His voice that raises 
the dead. 1 Thess. 4:16. But our Lord shows that it is His own 
voice that will raise the dead (John 5:28,29); the personal Michael 
of the Old Testament is identical with the Christ of the New. 

Seven centuries before Christ, a prophet of God foretold our 
Lord’s birth as a human being, and His birthplace. Micah 5:2. 
Out of Bethlehem would come “One . . . whose goings forth are 
from of old, from everlasting”—language that could not refer to 
an abstract word. It implies that the “One” referred to is as per¬ 
sonal before that time as He was after it. 

Paul, in speaking of the Son of God’s love, calls Him “the image 
of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation,” and says that 
“in Him were all things created,” and that “He is before all things.” 
Col. 1:13-18. Surely this language applies to a person, and fits that 
in Genesis, “Let US ma\e.” The same thing is taught in Hebrews 
1:10, 11: “Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation 
of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Thy hands: they 
shall perish; but Thou continuest.” 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 27 

One more evidence from among others, the words of our Lord 
Himself: “And now, Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own 
self with the glory which 1 had with Thee before the world was.” 
John 17:5. “As Thou didst send Me into the world, even so sent I 
them.” Verse 18. The apostles were persons before they were sent. 
Even so our Lord was a personal being. 

As a member of the great Godhead, our blessed Lord stepped 
down to live a servant of God, an angel among the angels, a man 
among men, filled all vacancies with His fullness of life and char¬ 
acter, and triumphed for every sinful soul. But all the mysteries, 
we may not, cannot, understand, any more than we can understand 
the creation of life. 

Has Christ Creative Power? 

Did our Lord exercise creative power in the feeding 
of the multitude, or was all that He did done through 
angelic ministration? 

There are repeated evidences that our Lord exercised creative 
power. The angels may have done His bidding at times, but all 
Christ’s miracles were done through the Spirit. Said the Roman 
centurion, “I am not worthy that Thou shouldest come under my 
roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” 
Jesus sent His word and healed him. The poor, decaying, corrupt 
leper said, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.” The 
cleansing of that leper meant creative power, the absolute renew¬ 
ing of his entire being; and Jesus touched him, and said, “I will; 
be thou clean.” There came to Jesus at another time one sick of 
palsy, and Jesus said, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” And the 
multitude murmured, saying that only God could forgive sins; 
but in order that He might demonstrate that He had the power 
of God to forgive sins, He said to the sick of the palsy, “Arise, and 
take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” And creative 
power restored the incurable of the palsy. 

It was not angels that said, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” but 
Christ; and it was not angels that healed the sick of the palsy, but 
Christ. It was so when the multitude was fed. As the bread left 


28 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the hands of the Master, it multiplied, and it multiplied in the 
hands of His disciples, through His own power. The only hope 
that the poor, sinful soul has is in the creative power of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, in the reception of His word. 

This does not mean that He did not use at different times and 
on various occasions—and most occasions, in all probability—the 
help of angels. He does not do this because angels are necessary, 
but in order that there may be that blessed and divine co-operation 
which will make other hearts glad as well as His own. Even so 
He uses human beings. He could have said to Paul: “Thy sins are 
forgiven thee. Arise and be baptized.” But He wanted Ananias 
to have a part in it, and He wanted His angel to have a part in it, 
and so He sent an angel to Ananias, and Ananias told Paul, and 
both of them were blessed in Christ in the work which they did; 
but the power was of Christ. “If any man be in Christ, he is a 
new creature,”—literally, a new creation. 


The Genealogy of Jesus. 

I would like light on the genealogy of Jesus, as there is 
a very great difference in the record of Matthew and that 
of Luke. 

There are two objects in giving the genealogies, 
i. That of Matthew is to give the kingly side of the genealogy, 
and show that Jesus is the rightful king, the rightful heir of Abra¬ 
ham. Some of the generations are omitted. The Spirit thought it 
wise to divide them into three groups of fourteen generations each. 
It may be said, however, that it is not an uncommon thing in the 
Bible to omit a generation. Sometimes a grandfather is called a 
father, because he was the leading type, just the same as the Jews 
are called children of Abraham, though many generations inter¬ 
vened between those so called and Abraham himself. The king- 
ship came through the male line. Joseph was the legal father of 
Jesus, and he therefore is given as the ancestor of our Lord. Christ 
received legally the kingship through him. 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 29 

2. Luke, however, gives the mother’s side, with a different ob¬ 
ject in view—to show that Jesus was of man, of the human family. 
But as it was not customary to trace the genealogy through women, 
the male members are mentioned instead of the female, the hus¬ 
band of Mary instead of Mary herself. And through this side of 
the family, the human side, the genealogy is traced back to Adam, 
the very first man, and still back of Adam to God Himself. So 
the Son of God was truly the Son of man. When the two lines are 
compared from David on, it will be seen that they meet in Zoro- 
babel and Salathiel (Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27), so that the blood of 
Solomon as well as the blood of Nathan was in both Joseph and 
Mary. 

The Brothers of Jesus. 

Some Bible readers are puzzled over the question of the 
brothers of Jesus. Was Jesus the older? Or were His 
brothers older than He? 

While the original word adelphos means brother, one born of 
the same mother, it is used in the New Testament in a far broader 
sense, for brothers in the faith or of the same nation. This is its 
general use, especially in the plural. See Luke 22:32; John 20:17; 
Acts 2:37; 7:23; 1 Cor. 8:13; 16:12. Members of the same family 
or household could properly be called brothers. This has led some 
to believe that the “brothers” of Jesus were His cousins. 

That Jesus was the first-born of Mary is very clear from the 
record in Luke 1. 

The “brothers” of Jesus seem to have been older than He. If 
younger, brought up with Him as they were, they would naturally 
believe on Him; but for some time they did not. John 7:5. 

Assuming to advise Him as to His duty would indicate they 
were older. John 7:3, 4. They felt that He needed to be controlled. 
Luke 8:19; Mark 3:31; Matt. 12:47. 

That so many of the brothers of Jesus were well known, and 
that in the mention of them in connection with Him, He alone 
is designated as the son of Mary, would also indicate that they were 


3 


30 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

older than He, by another mother. See Matt. 13:55; Mark 6:3. 
The other scriptures, such as 1 Corinthians 9:5 and Galatians 1119, 
are not out of harmony with this. 

Then, too, if Mary had had other sons, would Jesus at His death 
have commended His mother to John? John 19:26, 27. Joseph 
must have died long before this, as we find no mention of his liv¬ 
ing after the early days of Jesus. 

Therefore, it seems to us, the easiest solution of the problem is 
that the brothers of Jesus were sons of Joseph by a former marriage. 
A far more important question with each of us is, Are we brothers 
and sisters of Jesus? We may be. See Matt. 12:50. 

Christ on the Cross. 1 Peter 2:24. 

Did the wrath of God, and man, and Satan all meet 
on our Saviour as He hung upon the cross? or was it 
we who “esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and 
afflicted”? Was He not that same beloved Son in His 
darkest hour as He was at His baptism? 

Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree, as the apostle 
declares. 1 Peter 2:24. See also Isa. 53:4, 5, 6, n. God made Him 
to be sin for us, and therefore He bore the consequence of sin, 
which is death. In this sense only did the wrath of God rest upon 
Him. Of course it was Satan’s hope that He might be destroyed, 
and so it was the hope of Satan’s agents,—wicked men. The 
prophet, speaking for the Jews at the time of the crucifixion, says, 
“We did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted,” but 
He was not so because of His own sins, but because He bore our 
sins. He was indeed the same beloved Son when He hung upon 
the cross and the horrors and darkness of death were around Him 
as He was at His baptism and His transfiguration. The crucifixion 
was but the culmination of all that He did for man. He humiliated 
Himself for man, even unto death. Death was the climax of all. 
But in it all He was submissive to God’s will, and in it all God re¬ 
garded Him with the most tender favor. It was our sins that He 
bore, that hid from Jesus, through His humanity, the Father’s face, 


31 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 

and caused Him to cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou for¬ 
saken Me?” Sometimes an overwhelming sense of our own sins 
brings the same feelings to us; but that does not mean that God 
has forsaken us. 

"Made Like Unto His Brethren.” Heb. 2:14-17. 

Was it no special advantage to Christ that He was 
of divine origin, “the only-begotten Son of God”? How 
can we who are born in sin be what He was, when He 
knew no sin? 

Jesus was not only divine, but human. He was as truly human 
as any man who walks upon the earth. Let us consider: 

He was one with the Father “before the world was,” God’s “Fel¬ 
low,” the One in whom “were all things created,” the eternal Logos. 
John 17:5; Zech. 13:7; Col. 1:16; John 1:1-3. 

“From the foundation of the world” Christ gave Himself, “emp¬ 
tied Himself,” that He might break the power of sin, unify God’s 
broken creation, and save man. Rev. 13:8; 1 Peter 1:20; Phil. 2: 
5-8. When He did this, He gave up all, “counted not the being 
on an equality with God a thing to be grasped;” He “emptied 
Himself,” laying aside His Deity, “taking the form of a servant.” 

In this step the eternal Logos “became flesh,” the same as we; 
for He was “born of woman, born under the law,” under its con¬ 
demnation, as a human, having the flesh with all the human tend¬ 
encies; a partaker of the “flesh and blood” of humanity; “in all 
things” “made like unto His brethren,” “suffered being tempted.” 
Phil. 2:7; John 1:14; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14-17. And He met all the 
temptations even as you and I must meet them, by faith in the will 
and word of God. He overcame all the tendencies found in the 
flesh of humanity. 

Was it no special advantage to Christ that He was of divine 
origin, “the only-begotten Son of God”? That He was of divine 
origin was no special personal advantage, for He used no inherent 
divine power in His conflict with evil. His victory was of faith. 
His divine origin was against Him; for all the powers of evil were 
hurled against Him as against no other. But it was of special ad- 


32 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

vantage to be the Begotten of God; yet that same advantage comes 
to every soul of earth who will accept of Christ. For “as many as 
received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of 
God, even to them that believe on His name: who were born [mar¬ 
gin, “begotten”], not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of 
the will of man, but of God.” John i :i2, 13. And thus, though we 
were born in sin, we by faith “become partakers of the divine na¬ 
ture having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by 
lust.” 2 Peter 114. God thus places us on “vantage ground” in Christ 
Jesus, and so He will every soul who receives Him. He “emptied 
Himself” of all His glory and deity, so far as using it in His own 
behalf, to become one with us, in order that we might empty our¬ 
selves from all our selfishness and become one with Him. “Him 
who knew no sin He [the Father] made to be sin on our behalf; 
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Cor. 
5:21. “In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and 
in Him ye are made full.” Col. 2:9, 10. If the work were of our¬ 
selves, we might well be discouraged; but if we are willing, He will 
make us what He was and what He is. God gives us in Christ 
Jesus all the vantage ground that He possessed; shall we not ac¬ 
cept it, and rejoice in it? Of course it means conflict and struggle; 
it did to Jesus; but He conquered for us, that He might conquer 
with us and in us. See Heb. 2:9-18; 4:14-16; 5:7-9; 7:25. 

Christ’s Age at Baptism. Luke 3:23. 

Please explain Luke 3:23 in the Revised Version. Jesus 
was baptized at the age of thirty. His ministry began 
27 a. d. Did His ministry begin three years before His 
baptism? 

Our inquirer has confounded the beginning of the Christian 
era with Christ’s birth. The beginning of the Christian era is about 
four years this side of the birth of Jesus. It was not placed there 
until the thirteenth century. Roger Bacon found that the paschal 
full moon 33 a. d. fell on Friday, and this circumstance led him 
and several others, as Scaliger, Ussher, Pierson, to conclude that 
this was the year of the crucifixion; but Dr. Hales’ Chronology 


33 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 

shows rather that it was not the year of the crucifixion. Christ 
began His ministry at about thirty years of age, in the autumn of 
the year 27 a. d. He closed it in the spring, 31 a. d., three and one 
half years later. The Christian era was invented by a Scythian 
monk, Dionysius Exiguus, in the sixth century, and has been quite 
generally adhered to although it is everywhere recognized that he 
was in error as to Christ’s birth about four years. 


The Personality of the Spirit. 

1. Some say the Holy Spirit is a person; others say He 
is a personality; and others, a power only. Till how long 
should this be a matter of discussion? 

2. Some say that Christ was both divine and human 
while on earth; others say, No, He was only a man, and 
that miracles were performed through Him by the Holy 
Spirit. Which is correct? 

1. The personality of the Holy Spirit will probably be a matter 
of discussion always. Sometimes the Spirit is mentioned as being 
“poured out,” as in Acts 2. All through the Scriptures, the Spirit 
is represented as being the operating power of God. “The Spirit of 
God was brooding upon the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2, A. R. V., 
margin. Job tells us that God by His Spirit garnished the heavens. 
The psalmist, in speaking of the death of living creatures, and their 
restoration, declares that God sends forth His Spirit and “they are 
created.” By that same Spirit Jesus was begotten. By that same 
Spirit He went about doing good. By the gift of that Spirit men 
are begotten again, regenerated; and by the same Spirit there are 
bestowed upon them gifts for service. 

We cannot define too closely God or the Godhead. We must not 
try to do it, because it is beyond our limitations. We may know 
this,—that there is a great threefold manifestation of Deity. Jeho¬ 
vah is our God and Father; Christ Jesus, His only-begotten Son, 
is our Saviour and Elder Brother, bringing to us all the potency of 
the Godhead; the Holy Spirit is our regenerator, and the constant 
companion of every soul who believes in Christ Jesus. 


34 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

The reason why the Scriptures speak of the Holy Spirit as a per¬ 
son, it seems to us, is that it brings to us, and to every soul that 
believes, the personal presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said 
(John 14:18), “I will not leave you desolate,” or orphans. “I come 
unto you.” He tells us in verse 16 how He will come. The Father 
will “give you another Comforter, that He [the Father] may be 
with you forever.” In verse 23, He declares that the Father and He 
will come to the man who loves Him and keeps His word, and that 
They will make Their abode with him. But both the Father and 
the Son come by the Holy Spirit. To the Holy Spirit is given power 
to make the Father and the Son present to the believer. 

We may perhaps obtain a clearer idea of this from the follow¬ 
ing illustration: Suppose the President of the United States wishes 
to speak to all the people of the country at once, as he has done 
from time to time in recent years. He notifies the broadcasting 
companies of his desire, and at the appointed hour the air is cleared 
for him. People sitting by their radios in all parts of the country 
hear his message at practically the same instant. Everybody recog¬ 
nizes his voice. In a certain sense he is present with every one of 
them. He seems to speak personally to all. In the near future, 
when television is perfected, and moving pictures of the speaker 
himself are transmitted simultaneously and appear upon a screen 
in every home, this impression will be still more deeply marked. 

Wireless telephony furnishes perhaps an even better example 
still, for in this case the distant person can not only be heard, and 
perhaps seen, but answered. Wireless telephony has been practiced 
between God and His children for ages. 

If mortal, finite man can do such things as outlined above, what 
cannot the infinite God do! When Jesus was here upon the earth, 
His personality could be present in only one place at a time. His 
disciples could not comprehend any power beyond that. Even 
those who loved Him so intensely, as did Martha and Mary, said, 
“Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” They 
could not grasp the idea that He could exercise power apart from 
His immediate personal presence. It was left for a Roman cen¬ 
turion to seize the truth. He said, “I am not worthy that Thou 


35 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 

shouldest come under my roof; but only say the word, and my serv¬ 
ant shall be healed.” He could understand that Christ had power 
which could be exercised at a distance. And Jesus said, “I have not 
found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” 

Because of the lack of faith, it was “expedient,” necessary, that 
He should go away; for He declared, “If I go not away, the Com¬ 
forter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send Him unto 
you.” John 16:7. His disciples could not realize the presence of 
the Spirit of God as long as Christ was with them personally. In 
that sense, He could be with those only who were in His immediate 
presence. But when He went away, and the Spirit came, it could 
make Christ present with everyone, wherever that one was—with 
Paul in Athens, Peter in Jerusalem, Thomas in India, John in 
Patmos. 

These are simply illustrations. Wherever God’s children are, 
there is the Spirit. That Spirit is placed upon God’s messengers, 
the angels; but the angels are not the Spirit. That Spirit is placed 
upon God’s servants, His human messengers; but the human mes¬ 
sengers are not the Spirit. They are possessed by the Spirit, and 
used by the Spirit, and have within them the power of the Spirit; 
but they are not the Spirit. The Spirit is independent of all these 
human or material agencies. Why not leave it here? Why not 
know that that Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the 
Spirit of Deity, goes out into all the earth, bringing the presence 
of God to every heart that will receive it ? 

2. Our Lord, while here upon the earth, was both divine and 
human. He did not lose His identity. He was the Christ of God. 
There are various scriptures upon this. We read but one. Jesus 
asks His disciples, “Who say ye that I am?” “And Simon Peter 
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
What did Jesus says to this? “Flesh and blood hath not revealed 
it unto thee, but My Father who is in heaven.” See Matt. 16:15-17. 

It is an utter perversion of God’s truth to say that one of the 
Deity came down here to earth, and lost His identity, so that He 
was only a human being while He was here; and that when He 
returned to heaven, He became Deity, and lost His humanity. 


36 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Read the blessed story in brief form in Philippians 2: “Have this 
mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the 
form of God, counted not the being on an equality .with God a 
thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a 
servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in 
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even 
unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly 
exalted Him, and gave unto Him the name which is above every 
name.” Verses 5-9. 

And He it was that in the fullness of time was born of a woman, 
born under the law, that He might redeem them that were under 
the law. Gal. 4:4. He it was who died, and all creation responded 
to the agony in the great earthquake that took place. He it is who 
gives us this message from glory: “Fear not; I am the first and 
the last, and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold, 1 am alive 
forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” 

Being divine and using His divine power are two different 
things. Our Lord, we may believe, wrought His miracles through 
the Spirit. He met temptation by His faith in God’s word. He did 
all His work by the power of the Spirit in response to faith. But 
He was still the divine Son of God. 

Could Christ Have Sinned? Heb. 2:14-17. 

Was it possible for Christ to have sinned during the 
temptation of Satan, and during His life? 

The simple words of Scripture are, that He “was in all points 
tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” That is, though thus 
tempted, He did not sin. Was it possible? Truly it was; else where 
the temptation? For He was not only tempted in all points as we 
are, but “it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto His 
brethren.” “Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, 
He also Himself in li\e manner partook of the same.” He “was 
born of the seed of David according to the flesh.” The temptation 
cost Him conflict, “prayers and supplications with strong crying 
and tears unto Him that was able to save.” But He overcame, pre- 


37 


DEITY—FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT 

vailed. He took man’s nature with the awful risk. As long as the 
will of God reigned supreme in His life, He could not fail. But if 
He had sought His own pleasure, He would have failed. Read 
Hebrews 2 to 5. 

Spiritual Bodies. 

Can a spiritual body be made visible to mortal eyes? 

See Luke 24:39; John 4:24. 

There is a difference in the meaning of the various uses of the 
term “spirit.” Sometimes it means simply the life, the life God- 
given; sometimes it means a spiritual being. In such a way it is 
used in John 4:24, “God is a spirit,” or, as the margin of the Re¬ 
vised Version reads, “God is spirit.” 

Spiritual beings have the power to make themselves visible or 
invisible to humanity. Angels of God are around His children on 
every occasion. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about 
them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Ps. 34:7. Sometimes 
these angels have been made visible. Generally they are not. Some¬ 
times they appear as men. Our Lord, as a spiritual being, walked 
with the disciples on their way to Emmaus, sat with them at the 
table, and then vanished from their sight. He returned an invisi¬ 
ble being with them to Jerusalem, although they did not know 
that He was present. But shortly after they had met with the dis¬ 
ciples at Jerusalem, He again appeared to them, and said to them, 
“Handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye 
see Me have.” The evident thought implied in Luke 24:39 is that 
the disciples themselves thought Jesus was a ghost. 

It is pre-eminently true of fishermen that they are superstitious; 
so they thought it was a ghost they saw when Jesus walked on the 
sea. His purpose in eating before them was to show that He was 
not a mere phantom; He was a real being with substance—flesh 
and bones. He showed them His hands and His feet that had the 
marks of the nails. 

In fact, spiritual heings are more real than these mortal beings. 
They are composed of finer material, but it is not the less substan- 


38 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

tial. “The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam 
became a life-giving spirit.” i Cor. 15:45. And so, according to 
the previous verse, there is the natural body and there is also a 
spiritual body. Mortal man, corruptible man, shall not inherit the 
kingdom of God; but the purified spiritual beings shall enter it. 

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. 

Please explain the meaning of blasphemy against the 
Holy Spirit, as referred to in Mark 3:29. 

God has but two agencies for saving men. These agencies are 
the blood of Christ for the washing away of our sins, and the eter¬ 
nal Spirit by which we are sanctified and made strong to serve 
Him. If man utterly rejects these, the Lord has no other means of 
reaching him. He has chosen his own doom. In other words, he 
has “counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanc¬ 
tified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of 
grace.” Heb. 10:29. 

Read the context in Mark 3. Jesus had been among the Jews, 
and wrought such miracles as they had never known before. All 
these miracles were in harmony with their own Scriptures; yet 
right in the face of the blessed and divine working, these Jews, 
who should have been a light to the world, declared that He cast 
out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons. In other words, 
they attributed to the devil the work of the Spirit of God. 

The Lord did not arbitrarily cut them off because of that. He 
does not arbitrarily cut anyone off; but when man comes to that 
place where he will declare that the manifest working of God’s 
Spirit is of the devil, he by that act cuts himself off from the very 
means which God has of reaching him. That is what sin against 
the Holy Spirit is. It is setting aside the work of the Spirit of God 
as though it were wrought by the evil one. Doubtless there have 
been many who have done this in ignorance, and God has ac¬ 
cepted them, just as He did the apostle Paul (1 Tim. 1:13); but 
he who does that and persists in it, shuts himself off from eternal 
life, and commits an eternal sin. 


Section III 


THE NATURE OF MAN 

Have We Eternal Life Now? 

Am I mistaken in the teaching of John 5:24 and 1 
John 5:10-13, that we have everlasting life in this life by 
believing in Christ? 

That the believer has now everlasting life the following propo¬ 
sitions and Scripture texts clearly show: 

Mankind by nature are “children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3), being 
sick with sin (Isa. 1:5, 6; Rom. 3:23). 

The disease of sin (unless divine power interposes) ends in 
death. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1115. 

Because men are sinners, they are ignorant of the righteousness 
of God (Rom. 10:3); being victims of sin, “children of wrath,” or 
death, they are “alienated from the life of God” (Eph. 4:18); for 
righteousness is life (see Rom. 5:17, 18). 

Therefore, they who through Christ receive the righteousness 
of God by faith (Rom. 3:22), receive also the life of God, from 
which they are no longer alienated. 

Again, Christ is the manifestation of God to us (John 14:9), or, 
in other words, “God was in Christ” (2 Cor. 5:19); Christ was, 
therefore, the righteousness of God and the life of God (John 
14:10). 

When we accept of Christ by faith we have the “righteousness 
of God” (Rom. 3:22), and the life of God, or everlasting life (John 
3:36). So Jesus says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hear- 
eth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlast¬ 
ing life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from 
death unto life.” John 5:24. “He that hath the Son hath the life; 
he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life. These things 
have I written unto you, that ye may \now that ye have eternal 
life, even unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God.” 


39 


40 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

i John 5:12, 13, A. R. V. Says the regenerated Paul, “I am cruci¬ 
fied with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in 
Me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of 
the Son of God.” Gal. 2:20. 

Was not the life of the sinner real? Were not his sins real? Is 
not the righteousness of Christ just as real? Is not the life of 
Christ just as real? 

God’s Holy Spirit is life; and God puts that Spirit within those 
who believe (Ezek. 36:27; Rom. 8:9); and “the Spirit is life be¬ 
cause of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10). That Spirit gives us a new 
heart and a new spirit (Ezek. 36:26), makes us a new creature 
(2 Cor. 5:17) ; and as is that Spirit in nature, so is that which comes 
from the Spirit. 

To use another illustration: We are born of the “incorruptible” 
seed of the word of God, the gospel which abideth forever. 1 Peter 
1:23-25. Says Jesus, “The words that I speak unto you, they are 
spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63. Peter says that we are to 
feed upon “the sincere milk of the word,” that we may grow 
thereby. 1 Peter 2:2. Now if we are born of this incorruptible seed, 
if we feed upon spirit and life, shall we not be like the food of 
which we are partakers, upon which we grow, which has been 
made a part of our very being? Therefore, as in that word is the 
life of God, so in partaking of that word we are partaking of the 
life and Spirit of God. This is shown from the fact that, while out 
of Christ we were children of disobedience and death, in Christ 
we are quickened, or made alive, with Christ. Col. 2:13. Being 
crucified with Christ, the child of wrath dies, and the person is 
born of God, a son of God. Does not the son partake of the life of 
the father? If we are children of God, do we not share His life? 

But may we not lose this life, although it be real? We may. It 
is given by faith; it abides by faith, by God’s word abiding in us. 
If His words abide in us by faith (John 15:7), that faith will work 
by love (Gal. 5:6), that love will keep God’s commandments (1 
John 5:3; John 14:15-17); and by this last text we learn that with 
all this God’s Spirit, or life, abides with us forever. 

But if we go down in death, what then? We commit our life 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


41 


to Christ; and when Christ our life shall appear, we shall appear 
with Him in glory (Col. 3:4), not only with everlasting life, but 
with immortality. In fact, the grave cannot hold us. Death could 
not hold Christ (Acts 2:24), for the righteousness of God was upon 
Him; no more can it hold us, for the righteousness of God through 
Christ is upon us. In Him all fullness dwells; we have Him, He 
is ours, and we are “complete in Him.” Praise God for His un¬ 
speakable Gift, and for that life from which we are no longer 
alienated, and which gives power over sin and death. 

Mortal or Immortal? 

Can immortal create mortal? Did God, who is im¬ 
perishable create perishable beings or things? and as “in 
Him is no sin,” and “He is the life and light of men,” 
how can life create death? Were Adam and Eve created 
mortal ? 

We do not know what God could do; but we do not believe, nor 
do we see how, He could create mortals. By “immortal” we under¬ 
stand “deathless, incorruptible;” by mortal we understand “sub¬ 
ject to death, corruptibility.” We do not believe that mortal, perish¬ 
able, corruptible beings were in God’s plan, because all these are 
the fruits of sin; and sin is no part of His plan. “In Him is no sin.” 
How, then, did God create Adam? Not immortal; for there ex¬ 
isted the possibility of sin, and it was not in God’s plan to have im¬ 
mortal sinners. Neither did God create Adam mortal, for it was 
not His plan that man should die. What then? God created man 
neither mortal nor immortal, but a candidate for immortality. He 
was a perfect being, possessed of eternal life, held by faith in God. 
If sin had not come in, faith, by the power of God’s life, would 
have developed an incorruptible character which God would have 
owned by bestowing upon it physical immortality. Such will be 
the gift when Christ comes. Everlasting life is given actually now, 
that we may have power to conquer sin; but it will not be given 
absolutely till character is immortal, and then man’s temple of 
character will correspond with his character. 


42 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

The Word "Soul.” 

Will you please explain the term “soul of man”? The 
Bible says in regard to creation that man was made from 
the dust of the earth, and God breathed into him the 
breath of life, and he became a living soul. Some tell us 
that the soul is the spirit of man, something within him 
that never dies. 

The word “soul” is used in the Bible in different meanings. 
Sometimes it means the whole person. Man who was made of the 
dust of the earth became a living soul. The breath of life made him 
a living soul. He was a soul, or person, before, but lifeless . The 
breath of life made him living. So we read in i Peter 3:20 that 
there were eight souls saved in the ark; in Revelation 16:3, “Every 
living soul died in the sea”—that is, every living creature. 

“Soul” is used to express the thoughts and affections common 
to man; all men; the physical life. “Bless the Lord, O my soul: 
and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” Ps. 103:1. “Soul” 
also means life. It means simply the animal life, common to all 
creatures. An instance of this is found in Matthew 16:25, 26. The 
words “life” and “soul” in the King James Version come from 
the same Greek word; but nowhere in all the Bible is that soul 
said to be immortal, never-dying, or deathless, but always that 
which we may lose. We can therefore give three comprehensive 
definitions of the word “soul”: a living person; the natural mind, 
thought, intellect, and affections; and mere life, or vitality. 


Between Death and the Resurrection. Ps. 6:5. 

Will you kindly state whether or not Adventists believe 
that the personal identity of the soul continues after death, 
or is disintegrated, annihilated, at death? If the former, 
what is its state during the interval? In other words, 
please state plainly and succinctly your exact belief upon 
the subject, with scriptural references or otherwise. 

While we are sure that the answer will disappoint our querist, 
we can give no other. We know no place where Adventists, Sev- 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


43 


enth-day or otherwise, have ever formulated any precise, succinct, 
or exact belief regarding the condition of man between death and 
the resurrection. They have preferred to let it rest on the Bible 
statements without attempting to formulate the Scriptures into a 
creed. Hence different persons, if called upon so to do, would de¬ 
fine in a different way. But all are agreed in accepting the literal 
statement that “in death there is no remembrance of Thee [God] 
that when death occurs, man’s “breath goeth forth, he returneth to 
his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” See Ps. 6:5; 146:4; 
Eccl. 9:5. The condition between death and the resurrection is 
a dreamless sleep, from which only Christ, the Life-giver, can 
awaken the sleeper. As to just how God preserves identity, whether 
by the absolutely accurate life record of the individual which is 
indelibly stamped upon the resurrection body, or some other way, 
we may not know, nor need we concern ourselves about it. We 
know that man dies; that “the dead know not anything;” that 
Christ will bring them back from the power of death and the grave 
at His coming. The Bible makes Christ’s second coming and the 
resurrection of the dead necessities in God’s plan for the redemp¬ 
tion of the human race, contrary to the teaching of much of mod¬ 
ern theology. 

"Shall Never Die.” John 11 : 26 . 

Will you kindly give me some light on the following 
text? “And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall 
never die. Believest thou this?” 

The text in question is intimately connected with the three 
verses which come before. Jesus said to Martha, “Thy brother shall 
rise again.” Martha replied, “I know that he shall rise again in the 
resurrection at the last day.” Evidently the words of our Saviour 
in response to Martha had reference to that time as well as to the 
present. He declared to her that the One who raised the dead at 
that time had power to raise the dead at the present; and there¬ 
fore He replied, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that be¬ 
lieveth in Me [that is, in the last day], though he were dead, yet 


44 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

shall he live.” All those who sleep in Christ who died in faith will 
then come forth, and “whosoever liveth and believeth in Me [at 
that time, the righteous living] shall never die.” This to us is the 
simplest meaning of the text. When Christ comes, there will be 
the two classes who will live forever,—those who sleep in Him, and 
those who will be looking for Him. And He who will give life 
then can give it now. 

Enoch and Elijah. Matt. 17:1-3. 

The Bible says Enoch and Elijah were carried up to 
heaven without dying. Do you suppose they will be all 
the good people who will get to heaven before the second 
coming of Christ? Please explain the first three verses of 
the 17th chapter of Matthew. 

Yes, both Enoch and Elijah were translated; of these the Bible 
gives us a record. There may have been others thus taken; we do 
not know. When Christ died, the graves of many were opened; 
and when He rose from the dead, many came out of their graves 
and appeared to people. Matt. 27:52, 53. When Jesus ascended, 
this multitude of those who were once Satan’s captives ascended 
with Him. Eph. 4:8, margin. Matthew 17:1-3 reveals that there 
was yet another who had been raised; namely, Moses. The trans¬ 
figuration on the mount was to reveal to the disciples what the 
kingdom of Christ would be at His coming. See Matt. 16:28. 
There will be in that kingdom Jesus Christ glorified. There will 
be the righteous raised from the dead, represented by Moses, who 
died and the Lord buried him. When Christ, or Michael, the 
Archangel, came to raise him from the dead, Satan resisted Him. 
But the words, “The Lord rebuke thee” triumphed, and Moses 
came forth from the dead, and appeared a living, glorified man on 
the mount. Those who never taste death will greet Christ when 
He comes. Elijah represented these. Read 2 Peter 1:16-18, where 
the purpose of the transfiguration is stated; namely, to set before 
the disciples the power and coming and surety of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


45 


Returning to God. 

When the body dies, can an impure, unholy, and de¬ 
filed soul return to God who gave it? 

We nowhere read of the soul’s returning to God. We do read 
that the spirit returns to God. Eccl. 12:7. The soul, in one sense, 
might be said to return to God. That depends on the definition we 
give “soul.” If by “soul” we mean person, certainly the person does 
not return to God defiled and unclean. If we mean simply life, 
why, life came from God, and it goes back to God. It could not 
be spoken of as defiled, in the abstract. That life God will give 
back at the resurrection; but we are nowhere told that that life has 
form, or character, or personality, apart from the body. Ecclesias¬ 
tes 12:7 seems to have reference to the ordinary, common life 
which man loses at dissolution, though there are some who hold 
that it has reference to the higher life, that which God gives to His 
believing children. God does not in anywise count a man a double 
being or a triple being. The normal man has body and soul and 
spirit, but it takes the three to make the full man. When these, 
are separated, death ensues, and the dust returns to the earth as it 
was, and the spirit goes back to God. It came from God as life; 
it goes back to God as life. It did not come from God a living, con¬ 
scious entity, nor does it go back to God in that way. A simple 
understanding of the fundamentals will meet all these objections. 

Feeding Upon Christ. John 6:51. 

Can those die who truly partake in faith of the body 
and blood of Christ? 

We feed upon Christ truly by faith only. And Jesus declares, 
“If any man eat of this bread [that is, of Himself, the living Bread], 
he shall live forever.” John 6:51. But that He does not mean by 
this that the one who so eats shall not die, He continues, “He that 
eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood hath eternal life [a present 
possession]; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Verse 54. See 
also verses 33, 40, 47, 57, 58, 63. There are those who will be trans- 


4 


46 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

lated, without tasting death, when Christ comes. Of course these 
will be children of faith. There will be those who are not the less 
children of faith who will fall asleep before He comes. God does 
not count His people dead; they sleep in Him, with life “hid with 
Christ in God.” Col. 3:3. There will be those who will sleep— 
not children of faith—on through to the second resurrection. 
There are those—not of faith—who will live to see Christ’s com¬ 
ing. Let not that soul who faces death in Jesus be discouraged; 
“for God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of 
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, 
whether we wa\e or sleep, we should live together with Him." 
1 Thess. 5:9, 10. He lives better physically who rightly lives by 
faith; but living by faith, feeding on Christ by faith, he may still 
fall asleep in death. Rev. 14:13. 

Death and the Body of Moses. Deut. 34:5, 6. 

What information do we have regarding the death and 
resurrection of the body of Moses. 

The record of Moses’ death is given in Deuteronomy 34:5, 6,— 
a death at which only spiritual beings were present. The old war¬ 
rior lay down and went to sleep. 

Those who are in a condition of death are counted as the pris¬ 
oners of Satan, inasmuch as death is the result of sin. Of Satan, or 
Lucifer, it is said that he “let not loose his prisoners to their home.” 
Isa. 14:17. In Jude 9 we read that there was a dispute between 
Michael the Archangel and the devil about the body of Moses. 
Michael (the meaning of which is “Who is like God”), the Arch¬ 
angel (meaning the “Chief of all the angels”), was none other 
than the Son of God. This we learn by comparing Daniel 10:13, 
21 with Jude 9; John 5:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It will be seen 
by comparison of these texts that it is the voice of the Son of God 
that wakes the dead, and that this is the voice of the Archangel. 
The Archangel, Michael, the great Prince that stands for the chil¬ 
dren of God’s people, must therefore be Christ, the Son of God. We 
could conceive of no reason why there should be a dispute over the 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


47 


body of Moses unless it was over its resurrection from the dead. It 
is Satan’s ambition to keep forever dead all those who are the 
children of God. It is God’s gracious promise that they shall live 
again. We can also readily understand that at that dispute between 
the devil and Michael, Michael came off conqueror, and therefore 
the body of Moses was raised from the dead. As evidence of this, 
see Mark 9:4: “And there appeared unto them Elijah with Moses: 
and they were talking with Jesus.” Now Elijah was translated 
without seeing death. He and Moses were on the mount of trans¬ 
figuration; the one representing that class who at Christ’s coming 
will be raised from the dead; and the other those who, when Christ 
comes, will be translated without seeing death. Therefore Moses 
was raised from the dead,—a pledge of the resurrection for all 
time. Our correspondent has concluded rightly that Moses was 
taken to heaven. There is absolutely no proof that God gave his 
body to the devil, as some have affirmed. All this is pure supposi¬ 
tion. 

The Literal Resurrection. Isa. 26:19. 

Do Seventh-day Adventists believe that the resurrection 
taught by Christ, His apostles, or anywhere in Holy Scrip¬ 
tures, refers to a literal resurrection of the material body 
at a long period of time after death? Do the following 
Scripture quotations refer to such material, literal, and 
general resurrection of mankind or the redeemed: John 
11:24-26; John 20:27; Acts 24:14, 15; Rev. 1:16, 17, last 
part; two first sentences of the 18th verse; 1 Cor. 15:20-22; 

Dan. 12:2; Job 14:13, 14? 

Yes; Seventh-day Adventists believe in the resurrection of the 
body. The body returns to dust, to death and decay; God will call 
it back from dust. “Thy dead men shall live, together with my 
dead body shall they arise.” Isa. 26:19; see also Hosea 13:14. Jesus 
rose again, so did Lazarus and others. Have we any reason to 
believe that the resurrection of all others will be less literal ? Some 
of the above texts refer to a general resurrection, some to special 
resurrections, but all to a literal resurrection. John 20:27 and Rev- 


48 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

elation 1:18 refer to Jesus after He was raised from the dead. The 
whole hope of the future life is based by Paul on the fact of Christ’s 
literal resurrection, and the resurrection at the last day. 

But not all will be raised from the dead at the same time. There 
is first the resurrection of the righteous, and one thousand years 
after, the resurrection of the wicked. Rev. 20:4-6. But the right¬ 
eous do not rise from the grave with their corrupt, mortal bodies, 
but with glorious, immortal bodies like Christ’s. See 1 Cor. 15: 
51-55; Phil. 3:21. The wicked, raised one thousand years after, 
come up from the grave with the same mortal body which all men 
possess. The resurrection of the dead is one of the great elements 
in the Christian’s hope. Take the word of God as it reads. 

Brought With Christ From the Dead. 

Please explain the meaning of the 14 th verse of the 4 th 
chapter of 1 Thessalonians. 

The verse reads, “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, 
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.” 
The subject under consideration by the apostle is the second com¬ 
ing of Christ and the resurrection to take place at that time. There¬ 
fore he promises that as surely as Jesus died and rose again, just 
so surely would those who sleep in Jesus rise by the power of 
Christ’s resurrection. The text does not mean that God will bring 
those who sleep in Christ from heaven with Him, but that He 
brings them from the dead with Christ, or through the resurrec¬ 
tion, the same as He brought Christ from the dead, and through 
the same power. An expression in Hebrews 13:20 throws light on 
this text: “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the 
dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep;” and as 
He has brought the Shepherd, so will He bring the sheep. “Know¬ 
ing that He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also 
by Jesus, and shall present us with you.” 2 Cor. 4:14. When Christ 
comes, He brings His people up out of their graves and takes them 
to heaven. Ezek. 37:13, 14; John 5:28, 29. If those who sleep in 
Jesus are in heaven, the resurrection is made void. It is only by a 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


49 


resurrection out from among the dead, the power of Christ’s resur¬ 
rection, that they live or have any hope. See i Cor. 15:12-19. The 
Emphatic Diaglott renders the verse in question, “For since we 
believe that Jesus died and arose; so also [we believe] that God, 
through Jesus, will lead forth with Him those who fell asleep.” 
The leading forth, or bringing, is from the dead to the glory which 
awaits them. Heb. 13:20. 


"Eternal” and "Everlasting.” Matt. 25:41, 46. 

Would you please give me the true definition of the 
two words “eternal” and “everlasting,” and tell me what 
bearing the term “everlasting” has upon the fate of the 
ungodly in the future? 

In the New Testament, as in Matthew 25:41, 46, both words 
come from the same Greek word, aidnios, literally, “age-lasting.” 
The word is derived from aion, meaning “age.” Bagster thus de¬ 
fines it: “A period of time of significant character; life; an era; an 
age; hence a state of things marking an age or era; the present 
order of nature; the condition of man, the world; ho aion, illimit¬ 
able duration, eternity.” “Aidnios, indeterminate as to duration, 
eternal, everlasting.” Liddell and Scott define aion as “a period of 
existence; one’s lifetime; life; a long space of time, an age; a space 
of time clearly defined and marked out, an era, age, period of a dis¬ 
pensation, this present world.” Aidnios is defined to mean, “last¬ 
ing for an age, perpetual, everlasting, eternal.” 

The corresponding Hebrew word olam Young defines as “age, 
age-lasting.” For its use see Gen. 17:7, 8, 13, 19; Ex. 40:15; Num. 
25:13; Deut. 33:27. The meaning of the word, it will be seen, is 
to be determined by that to which it is applied. If applied to God, 
it means without end; if to a man’s life, it ends with his life or 
age; if to the Levitical priesthood, it ends when that priesthood ex¬ 
pired at the close of that age or dispensation; if to the Christian era, 
it terminates when Christ comes. Where “world” comes from aion, 
it would have made a clearer sense if it had been translated “age.” 
As applied to the punishment of the wicked, it evidently means 


50 


QUESTIONS ANSWERED 


just the same as when applied to the salvation of the righteous; 
that is, both are everlasting, or eternal. But one is eternal life; the 
other is eternal death. Many would make the text teach “eternal 
punishz/2g;” but the Bible declares it to be “everlasting destruction.” 
2 Thess. 1:9. Says the Revised Version, “Who shall suffer punish¬ 
ment, even eternal destruction.” The “eternal fire” which Jude 
says fell upon Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7), and which thus 
made their punishment an example to the ungodly, Peter says 
turned those cities “into ashes, condemned them with an over¬ 
throw, having made them an example unto those that should live 
ungodly.” 2 Peter 2:6, R. V. The salvation of the righteous is 
eternal life, which never terminates, or ends, in death; the punish¬ 
ment of the wicked is just the opposite state, but equal in duration, 
eternal death, which will never know life. Much more might be 
said, but this covers the principle. 

"Spirits in Prison.” 1 Peter 3:19. 

Please explain the text, “By which He went and 
preached unto the spirits in prison.” 

The quotation is 1 Peter 3:19. Let us question the text: 

To whom does the “He” refer? “Christ.” Verse 18. 

To what does the “which” refer? The Spirit; “Christ . . . made 
alive in the Spirit.” Verse 18. 

Who were the spirits? The souls shut up in the prison house 
of sin, with no power to save themselves. For this Christ came. 
Compare carefully Galatians 3:22; Isaiah 61:1. What put them 
in prison? Sin; “that aforetime were disobedient.” 1 Peter 3:20. 

When did He preach to them? “When the long-suffering of 
God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.” 
Verse 20. 

Through whom did He preach by His Spirit? “Noah,” “a 
preacher of righteousness” “by faith.” 2 Peter 2:5; Heb. 11:7. 

What was the result of the preaching? “Few, that is, eight souls, 
were saved.” 1 Peter 3:20. That preaching also “condemned the 
world,”—those who did not believe. Heb. 11:7. 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


51 


Not Able to Kill the Soul. Matt. 10:28. 

Kindly explain to me how I can harmonize what you 
say regarding the condition of man in death with Matthew 
10:28, “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not 
able to kill the soul.” 

The text says nothing concerning the condition of the man in 
death—absolutely nothing. The Bible nowhere tells us that the 
soul, as it is generally spoken of, has consciousness apart from the 
body. We might say that the word from which “soul” is taken, 
psuche, in Matthew 10:28, is the same word that is translated “life” 
in Matthew 16:25, and “soul” in Matthew 16:26. It simply means 
life, and nothing else. Man cannot take away our life finally. He 
can bring temporary death, but our life rests with God. Man can¬ 
not take away future life; but God can, and the very fact that He 
can proves that the soul is not immortal. If we would only get the 
Bible idea of what is meant by “soul,”—not a being of itself within 
the man, but just simply life, that which makes a man a living 
creature, as used in the text under consideration,—we would have 
no trouble regarding man’s future. The Creator gives man life 
that he may use it to God’s glory; and if man refuses to do that, 
God takes it away, and man dies, and eventually eternally dies. 
This is reasonable and just. “Soul” is sometimes used for the whole 
person in the Bible, but not in these texts. 

The Gospel, to Whom Was It Preached? 

Please explain 1 Peter 4:6. Does it mean that the 
gospel was preached to some who were dead ? 

Notice, the text does not say that the gospel was preached to 
them that were dead, but “for this cause was the gospel preached 
also to them that are dead.” It was preached to the antediluvians 
(2 Peter 2:5); it was preached to Abraham (Gal. 3:8); it was 
preached to the unbelieving Israelites (Heb. 4:2); it was preached 
through God’s word and works to all others (Psalm 19). But it 
was preached to all who are now dead or who were dead at the 
time the above text was written, but when the dead were alive. 


52 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

What utter futility it would be to preach to the dead! “His breath 
goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts 
perish " See Ps. 146:4, and other scriptures. They could hear 
nothing. No; all of the blessed, living gospel messages God has 
sent have been sent to persons who were alive. 

Souls Under the Altar. Gen. 4:10; Rev. 6:9. 

I would like you to explain Genesis 4:10 regarding 
Abel’s blood crying to the Lord after Abel was dead; and 
Revelation 6:9, where John saw the souls of them that 
were slain in heaven. 

There are various figures of speech recognized by all students 
of language. One of these is personification, by which a thing hav¬ 
ing no life is made to speak and talk as though it did have life. 
This figure is often used in the Bible. For instance, in the second 
chapter of Habakkuk, the stones in the house are represented as 
crying out, and the beam that is in the house as answering the 
stones. That is, the house was builded in iniquity. It is so evident 
before God that He speaks as though the very stones were crying 
out against it. So regarding Abel. Cain had shed his blood. The 
hitherto innocent earth, that had never known bloodshed, was 
made to drink of the evidence of his crime. Cain thought to hide 
that crime from God; but the Lord wished to show the guilty man 
that his sin was just as evident as though the very blood were cry¬ 
ing it audibly from the ground. 

Of course, no one thinks for a moment that the blood was alive 
or speaking, but God remembered it just as truly as though that 
were the case. This same figure of speech is used in Revelation 6:9 
under the period of the pale horse, Death. During the time of the 
persecution of the Dark Ages, thousands of God’s children were 
slain. John is represented as seeing these underneath the altar. 
This altar was not in heaven. Only the altar of incense is repre¬ 
sented as being there. Rev. 8:3. The altar of sacrifice was on the 
earth; and the martyrs are represented as being underneath the 
altar of sacrifice, consequently were not souls that were in heaven. 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


53 


The awful sin of putting these souls to death was so great in the 
sight of God that the inanimate beings who had suffered are rep¬ 
resented as crying to God. It is the cry of justice against such 
wickedness. And God cares for them and hears in their behalf 
just as truly as though they were speaking audibly. That is all that 
is meant by it; for we certainly could not conceive for a moment 
that if those souls were in heaven, they would be crying out for 
vengeance against their persecutors. We could not conceive heaven 
to be a place of happiness if that were the case. Those souls would 
know that in a little while the wicked would be doomed, anyway, 
and it would be utter folly, yea, more than that, hardheartedness 
and contrary to the Spirit of Christ, for them to be crying out 
against their enemies. The text indicates how God feels and cares 
for His oppressed and persecuted children. He may seem to for¬ 
get them, and centuries may pass since the crimes have been com¬ 
mitted against them; but God remembers them just as truly as 
though they were audibly crying to Him from the places where 
they were sacrificed for His sake. 

The Thief on the Cross. Luke 23:43. 

A friend tells me that we have no right to change the 
punctuation in the text, *“Verily I say unto thee today, 
shalt thou be with Me in Paradise.” This friend uses the 
thief on the cross as a strong proof of the immortality of 
the soul. 

There are several conditions in the understanding of this text, 
i. What did the thief request? “Jesus, remember me when Thou 
comest into Thy kingdom.” But when would Christ come into 
His kingdom? “When the Son of man shall come in His glory, 
and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His 
glory.” In Luke 19:11-13 He tells us by a parable that He did not 
take His kingdom when He ascended up on high; but He went to 
do a work at the close of which He would receive the kingdom, 
and then come again. In Daniel 7:13, 14 we learn that the receiv¬ 
ing of that kingdom takes place in connection with the judgment, 


54 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

and that at the end of earth’s history He takes the kingdom under 
the whole heavens, which is the earth, and reigns. See also Luke 
i : 3 2 ,33; 2 Tim. 4:1. Doubtless the thief had heard our Lord teach 
in regard to these very things, and with utter abandonment of soul 
he throws himself on the mercy of Christ, and pleads, “Lord, re¬ 
member me when Thou comest into Thy \ingdom’,’ that is, when 
Christ should come again. 

2. Our Lord’s answer, “Verily I say unto thee today, shalt thou 
be with Me in Paradise.” Where is Paradise ? According to Reve¬ 
lation 2:7 it is where the tree of life is. According to Revelation 
22:1, 2 that tree is near the throne of God, and will eventually de¬ 
scend again upon this earth when the New Jerusalem comes down 
from above. Rev. 21:1-5. Yet Jesus told Mary, the third day after 
His crucifixion, when in glad greetings she was about to clasp His 
feet, “Touch Me not; for I have not yet ascended to My Father.” 
John 20:17. Therefore Jesus did not mean that the thief would be 
with Him that day in Paradise. 

3. Still further, it was a very rare thing for an individual to die 
upon the cross the day he was crucified. When the soldiers came 
to break the legs of the criminals lest they should get away, they 
found Christ already dead, and they wondered at it. They broke 
the legs of the criminals, as they had doubtless often done before 
to others, and left them to die in lingering agony. Therefore it is 
not at all probable, in the very physical nature of the case, that the 
thief died on that day. 

What, then, is meant by the text? Simply this, that the thief, 
knowing of the glorious kingdom of Christ to come, and that the 
Master would come back to earth to take that kingdom, asked 
that he be remembered of the King at that time; and the King, 
dying upon the cross as a malefactor with no power seemingly to 
fulfill a single promise, on a day when His own disciples had lost 
faith in Him, promised the dying man that his wish should be 
gratified: “Verily I say unto thee today [the day above all days 
when seemingly I cannot keep the promise that I shall make, the 
day when My own professed disciples have forsaken Me and fled, 
the day when I am dying as thou art dying, as thou hast faith to 


THE NATURE OF MAN 55 

ask I have faith and assurance to promise, that when that time shall 
come that I enter My kingdom], shalt thou be with Me.” 

There would be no trouble with this text at all if it had not been 
wrongly punctuated. There should be no comma after “thee;” it 
should be after “today.” The adverb “today” modifies the verb 
“say” rather than the verb “shall be.” There is no inspiration in 
commas. For centuries there was no division even between words, 
to say nothing about the parts of sentences. Of course the men who 
punctuated the Bible punctuated it according to their understand¬ 
ing; but investigation of this subject, as our brief study clearly 
shows, indicates that the comma should be after “today” and not 
before. 

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. 

Please explain the case of the rich man and Lazarus as 
recorded in Luke 16:19-31. How about his torment? 

How about the gulf? How about Lazarus going to Abra¬ 
ham’s bosom at death? 

In the first place, the story is one of a series of parables spoken 
by our Lord to teach certain lessons; and it is a well-settled rule 
of interpretation (1) that no parable should be used as a basis for 
doctrine. It is used to enforce truth established by plain Scripture, 
but is in itself not designed to establish or to reveal truth. Often¬ 
times it is in itself pure fable or allegory, in which inanimate things 
are made to act and speak, though in reality they may not even 
be alive. (2) Parables should not be made to “go on all fours.” 
Certain features must be brought in to make the parable consistent 
with itself; but these things often have no part in enforcing the les¬ 
son for which the parable was given. 

The parables of the supper, the ninety and nine, the prodigal 
son, the unjust steward, and the rich man and Lazarus, were all 
given to rebuke the indifference, the pride, the selfishness, the un¬ 
faithfulness, the exclusiveness, of the Jewish people, and to set 
over against all these the all-comprehending love of God. 

In the last of this series Jesus uses the belief of the Jews, erro¬ 
neous though it was, to show, according to their own view, how 


56 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

utterly unreasonable was their pride of wealth, and contempt of 
the poor, and their national pride and contempt of the Gentiles. 

i. The belief of the Jews at that time, according to Josephus, 
was that Hades was a subterranean region “not regularly finished,” 
in which none of “the light of this world shines,” a region of “per¬ 
petual darkness.” Here souls are taken by the angels, “who dis¬ 
tribute to them temporary punishments.” Here also is a lake of 
unquenchable fire, in which as yet no one will supposedly be cast 
till the judgment day. As the souls go into Hades the wicked are 
“dragged” to the left hand by the angels, within the very sound 
of hell itself; while the righteous are taken to the right hand, a 
place of happiness. “This place we call Abraham’s bosom.” Be¬ 
tween the two classes there is a great gulf which cannot be crossed 
by souls on either side. All this we know is neither true nor Bibli¬ 
cal. When man dies, he dies. “In that very day his thoughts per¬ 
ish.” His love, his hatred, his envy, are all perished till the resur¬ 
rection day. Yet Jesus used this erroneous belief to show the Jews 
how utterly inconsistent they were, and what their judgment as 
individuals would be according to their own theory. 

By and by the rich man dies. Lazarus dies. According to their 
own theory, he who had lived for himself, must suffer. He who 
had trusted God, according to the same theory, was placed in Abra¬ 
ham’s bosom. The fixing of characters prevented forever any 
change in their condition. Such, according to their own view, 
would be their ultimate fate. 

But Jesus taught more than this. In the light of all the prophets 
they rejected Him of whom all the prophets spoke. They counted 
themselves as children of Abraham. John 8:33, 39. According to 
their view, which Jesus on another occasion used, they counted the 
Gentiles as dogs. Mark 7:27. Lazarus (whom God aids) well rep¬ 
resents our Lord, who came to His own personally and in His 
apostles, but “His own received Him not.” Since that very time 
facts have demonstrated the truth of the parable. The Jewish peo¬ 
ple have been in trouble, in pain, in anguish, but still holding be¬ 
tween them and the Christ of God the great gulf of their own 
national pride and exclusiveness and self-righteousness, elsewhere 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


57 


symbolized by the veil upon the heart. They want Lazarus to re¬ 
lieve them, but He must come in their way. They are still in “tor¬ 
ment” (basanos, trial, testing), yet unwilling to yield and cast 
themselves wholly upon His mercy. His salvation will not span 
their unbelief. They cannot cross upon it to Him. And God will 
work no marvelous signs while they refuse to believe His word. 
John 5:41-47. 

Two Difficult Texts. Phil.l:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:6-8. 

Will you please explain Philippians 1:21-23 and 2 Cor¬ 
inthians 5:6-8? Do these texts teach that the soul goes to 
God at death? 

Philippians 1:21-23 reads as follows: “To me to live is Christ, 
and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my 
labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait be¬ 
twixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which 
is far better.” 

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 reads thus: “Therefore we are always con¬ 
fident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are 
absent from the Lord: (for we walk by faith, not by sight:) we 
are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, 
and to be present with the Lord.” 

Turning to Philippians, notice what the apostle says in verse 
20, that Christ shall be magnified in his body whether it be by 
life or by death, and therefore for him to live is Christ, and to die 
is gain for Christ. In either case God would be glorified, in either 
life or death. Therefore the apostle declares he did not know which 
to choose of those two. If he were to live, suffering awaited him; 
if he were to die, still God would be glorified in his death, and he 
would rest from all the suffering. Therefore which I shall choose 
of the two, the apostle declares, “I wot not”—he knew not. “For 
I am in a strait betwixt two,” that is, the dying and the living. 
But he did have a desire for a third thing, “to depart, and to be with 
Christ; which is far better.” 

When the apostle expected to be with Christ he has very clearly 


58 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

shown in other scriptures, as, for instance, i Thessalonians 4:13-18. 
He there tells us that when Christ comes the second time, the liv¬ 
ing shall be changed and the dead shall be raised, and so shall we 
ever be with the Lord. The same thought is expressed in 2 Timo¬ 
thy 4:8,—it is “at that day,” when Christ shall come; also Philip- 
pians 3:21, when Christ “shall change our vile body, that it may 
be fashioned like unto His glorious body.” Jesus teaches the same 
truth in Matthew 16:27. “The Son of man shall come in the glory 
of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every 
man according to his works.” This was the thing which the apos¬ 
tle desired, a translation either at or before the second coming of 
our Lord. The original word rendered “depart” comes from the 
same root as does “return” in Luke 12:36. The word “return” in 
that text clearly refers to the second coming of Christ. 

2 Cor. 5:6-8 

Now as regards the second scripture. Study the context, 2 Co¬ 
rinthians 5:1-10. Note the three states or conditions which the 
apostle there presents. 

First, our earthly condition here, indicated by the following 
terms: “our earthly house of this tabernacle,” “in this we groan,” 
“in this tabernacle,” “mortality,” “at home in the body,” “absent 
from the Lord.” 

Secondly, the condition of death, indicated by “dissolved,” 
“found naked,” “unclothed.” 

Thirdly, the future state for which the apostle longed: “the 
building of God,” “an house not made with hands, eternal in the 
heavens,” “clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,” 
“swallowed up of life.” 

These we are sure will be clear to the reader—these three con¬ 
ditions. One, in which the apostle and all other mortals are, a con¬ 
dition subject to trouble and trial and sickness, sadness, and death, 
in which all groan and long for some other condition. 

Secondly, the condition of being “unclothed,” or “dissolved,” 
having no dwelling place, so to speak, dead,—an utterly undesir¬ 
able condition. 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


59 


Thirdly, being at home with the Lord, or forever with Him, 
where mortality is swallowed up of life. Compare this with i Co¬ 
rinthians 15:51-54, when “this mortal shall have put on immor¬ 
tality,” and “this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,” “at 
the last trump,” at the second coming of Christ. Note also again 
the parallelism between verses 2 and 4 and Romans 8:23, where 
the apostle declares that we also who “have the first fruits of the 
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting [not for 
death but] for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” 
That occurs at the resurrection, when “mortality might be swal¬ 
lowed up of life.” Therefore the apostle tells us that while here 
we walk by faith, not by sight. Looking forward to the glorious 
hope and culmination of the Christian warfare, he labored that, 
whether present or absent, whatever his condition when Christ 
came, whether living or dead, he might be accepted of Him; “for 
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” That is 
the climax of the apostle’s statement, and it was to that time that 
he looked as a time not of condemnation, but of joyful triumph 
in his Lord. Therefore neither of the passages, when properly 
understood and explained by other scriptures, teaches the immor¬ 
tality of the soul, or the soul’s conscious existence apart from the 
body; but they very emphatically teach that the only hope of the 
Christian is the second coming of our Lord. 

"His Soul Within Him Shall Mourn.” Job 14:22. 

Please explain Job 14:22. Does it mean that his soul 
within him shall mourn after he dies? 

No, it does not. The connection must be taken into considera¬ 
tion. Job is telling us of the sorrowful state of man. He will come 
to nothing. He looks constantly forward to the change which will 
take place, when he goes down into silence. In that condition of 
silence, “his sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they 
are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.” The 13th verse 
reads, “O that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that Thou 
wouldest keep me secret!” Chapter 17:12 expresses a very similar 


60 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

thought: “If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed 
in the darkness.” 

The 22(1 verse refers to his condition before that. While he is 
contemplating his end, “his flesh upon him shall have pain, and 
his soul within him shall mourn.” Spurrell’s translation of Job 
14:22 is, “Surely the flesh upon him shall consume away, and his 
soul shall lament over it;” previous, of course, to his death. 

According to the unscriptural theory of the condition of the soul 
after death, the soul has no flesh upon it; it is absolutely free. There¬ 
fore, according to that theory, this text could not refer to the con¬ 
dition after death. It must refer to a time when one is in the flesh; 
and the time to which Job refers is when man is decaying, and 
hastening on to his death. When death comes, then it is darkness, 
silence, unconsciousness, sleep. 

"Undying Worm”—"Unquenchable Fire.” 

Will you give me some light on the expression, “Their 
worm shall not die,” as mentioned in Isaiah 66:24; Mark 
9:43-48? 

The term “hell” in Mark 9:43-48 comes from the Greek word 
Gehenna, and that from the Hebrew Valley of Hinnom, south of 
Jerusalem, called also Tophet, or Topheth. See Jer. 19:2, 6, 11, 12. 
This valley, says Bagster’s Greek Lexicon, was “once celebrated for 
the horrid worship of Moloch, and afterward polluted with every 
species of filth, as well as the carcasses of animals and dead bodies 
of malefactors, to consume which, in order to avert the pestilence 
which such a mass of corruption would occasion, constant fires 
were kept burning.” Isaiah 66:24, it will be noticed, speaks not of 
live men upon whom worms feed, but the carcasses, or dead bodies, 
of men. See Isaiah 37:36, where the Hebrew word is rendered 
“corpses;” and Jeremiah 31:40; Amos 8:3, and other places where 
it is translated “dead bodies,” which is what the word everywhere 
means. The terms “shall not die” and “neither ... be quenched” 
simply indicate that these agents of destruction will not cease until 
they do their appointed work; for the worm shall eat them up 


THE NATURE OF MAN 


61 


(Isa. 50:9; 51:8), and the fire shall burn up the chaff (Matt. 3:12; 
Mai. 4:1; Rev. 18:8). For an instance of this use of “unquenchable 
fire” see Jeremiah 17:24-27 and 2 Chronicles 36:19,21. The former 
text declares that if the Jews would not observe the Sabbath, the 
Lord would kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem which should 
not be quenched. In the latter it states that this fire “burnt the 
house of God,” and “burnt all the palaces thereof with fire,” “to 
fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah.” The un¬ 
dying worm and the unquenchable fire are symbols of utter and 
complete destruction. These arguments will likewise apply to 
Mark 9:43-48. Gehenna, as Wilson remarks, “symbolizes death 
and utter destruction, but in no place signifies a place of eternal 
torment.” 


S 


Section IV 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 

"The Earth Abideth Forever.” Eccl. 1:4. 

Will you please explain the last clause of Psalm 78:69 
and Ecclesiastes 1:4? In the former text we read, “The 
earth which He hath established forever;” and in Ecclesi¬ 
astes 1:4, “The earth abideth forever.” But is it not true 
that the earth will burn up with its wicked inhabitants? 

No. When God created the earth, He did not create it to be 
destroyed. He bases His very existence upon His power to pre¬ 
serve His work. See Isaiah 45:18: “For thus saith Jehovah that 
created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, 
that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be 
inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else.” Again in Psalm 
115:16: “The heavens are the heavens of Jehovah; but the earth 
hath He given to the children of men.” In Psalm 37 we have the 
promise repeated over and over, that the righteous shall receive 
their reward in the earth; not only the righteous, but the wicked. 
“The meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in 
the abundance of peace.” “The seed of the wicked shall be cut off. 
The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever.” 
Our Lord echoes the same thought when He declares in the Beati¬ 
tudes, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” 

In referring to the glorious triumph over sin, the prophet Daniel 
declares, “The kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of 
the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the peo¬ 
ple of the saints of the Most High: His kingdom is an everlasting 
kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Read 
also Revelation 21, 22, where the new heavens and earth are por¬ 
trayed before us,—in other words, the heaven and the earth re¬ 
newed by the power of God. 

“World” in the New Testament of the King James Version, 
often comes from a Greek word meaning “age.” The world, or 


62 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


63 


age, will end; but the earth, the material earth, purified by the 
fires of the last day and the power of God, will abide forever. 
Sometimes “world” comes from a word meaning “the inhabited 
earth.” Of course, there will come a time when it will be without 
an inhabitant; but sin shall not work its will in the domain of 
God. “World” comes also from a word meaning “order, beauty, 
arrangement.” This, too, comes to an end. The earth will be puri¬ 
fied from sin and will continue forever. 


Warning the Antediluvians. Gen. 6:3. 

Will you please explain Genesis 6:3? 

The text reads as follows: “The Lord said, My Spirit shall not 
always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall 
be an hundred and twenty years.” This text is generally under¬ 
stood to express this: “The time of that generation was limited to 
the period named in the text, that during that one hundred twenty 
years God would, by the preaching of His servant and the sending 
forth of His Spirit, endeavor to bring men to repentance, before 
the Flood came upon the earth. The Lord never brings judgment 
upon men unwarned. Amos 3:7. It was not His desire that the 
antediluvian world should perish; but their wickedness had be¬ 
come so great that one or the other of two things was necessary,— 
the truth of God would be lost to the earth, and sin would com¬ 
pletely triumph, or the judgment of God must fall upon those who 
were wicked, and sweep them from the earth. 

It is not the Lord’s plan that righteousness shall perish from 
the earth or that sin shall eternally triumph; and He therefore 
gave that generation the privilege of turning to Him. He sent out 
Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), who preached 
the righteousness of Christ by faith (Heb. 11:7), by the power 
of the Spirit of God (1 Peter 3:19, 20), for one hundred twenty 
years. At the end of this time all upon the earth had either ac¬ 
cepted or rejected the message of the gospel. Those who rejected, 
identified themselves with sin, and chose to perish. Those who 


64 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

accepted, were carried over the Flood by the ark. So it will be in 
the last days before Jesus Christ shall come again. God’s “Spirit 
shall not always strive with man,” for “as it was in the days of 
Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.” That day 
of judgment will as surely come as it did in the days of Noah. 


"The End of All Things Is at Hand.” 

Why did Paul and the other apostles in their day say 
that the end of the world was at hand, and that they were 
living in the last days, as in i Peter 4:7? How long has it 
been since the end of the world has been said to be 
imminent? 

Christ’s second coming is life to His people. Even though they 
may sleep in death, that sleep is but for a moment, so far as con¬ 
sciousness is concerned. To him who falls asleep in Jesus the next 
moment of consciousness is seeing Jesus come. Therefore Chris¬ 
tians in all ages ought to be prepared for that coming, ready to 
meet their Lord. 

The apostles wrote for all time. The word was not their word, 
but God-breathed through them. They wrote, therefore, for the 
last days as well as for their own day, and for all days in view of 
the last great day. But that they did not believe that the Lord was 
coming in their day is shown by the apostle Paul in his first and 
second letters to the Thessalonians. In the first epistle he again 
and again refers to the coming of the Lord as though it were im¬ 
minent. See chap. 1:10; 2:19, 20; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:1-6. From these 
repeated references in the first epistle the Thessalonian brethren 
had come to believe that Christ’s coming was impending. This 
the apostle corrected in his second epistle, as follows: “Now we 
beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and our gathering together unto Him; to the end that ye 
be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either 
by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the 
Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in anywise: for it will 
not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


65 


revealed, the son of perdition.” Chapter 2:1-3. It 1S very clear, there¬ 
fore, that the apostle Paul did not look for the second coming of 
Christ or the end of the world in his day. 

The last days would be times of special peril (see 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 
Luke 21:34, an d many other scriptures); Satan would do all in 
his power to blind the minds of men to the importance of that 
great event, to its nature and its time. Therefore we have the 
solemn warnings handed down to the last generation of men. 
These things are confirmed by Matthew 24 and Luke 21, which 
chapters clearly show that God’s children may know when Christ’s 
coming is near. “When ye shall see all these things, know that He 
is near, even at the doors.” 

Prophetic Time. Ezek. 4:4-6; Num. 14:34. 

Why is the Jewish year reckoned as 360 days? 

1. The application of a day for a year in prophecy is authorized 
by Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:4-6. 2. A Bible month is shown 
to be thirty days by Genesis 7:11; 8:4, in comparison with Genesis 
7:24. The first passage places the beginning of the Deluge on the 
second month and 17th day; the second passage tells us the ark 
rested on the seventh month, the 17th day; and the third passage 
shows this period to be just 150 days, a period of five months at 
thirty days to the month. Twelve of such months would constitute 
a year of 360 days. The twelve-month year is indicated in 1 Kings 
4:7; 1 Chronicles 27:1-15. 3. There is one prophetic period men¬ 
tioned seven times in the Bible, as follows: “time and times and 
the dividing of time” (Dan. 7:25); “a time, times, and a half” 
(Dan. 12:7); “forty and two months” (Rev. 11:2; 13:5); “a thou¬ 
sand two hundred and threescore days” (Rev. 11:3; 12:6); “a 
time, and times, and half a time” (Rev. 12 :i4). If forty-two months 
are identical with 1,260 days, there are thirty days to the month; 
and if the forty-two months constitute three and one-half times, or 
years, there are twelve months to the year, of thirty days each. This 
is conclusive as to prophetic time. In the later Jewish calendars a 


66 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

short month, Veadar, was added occasionally to correct the calen¬ 
dar, which, o£ course, would make correct the average Jewish year. 
See Smith’s Bible Dictionary, article, “Month.” 

Signs of His Coming. Matt. 24:3 3. 

You speak of general increasing wickedness as a sign 
of the times. Has not the world always been wicked? 

Have there not been many earthquakes before, and de¬ 
structive ones? and so with other so-called signs of His 
coming? 

Yes, most of the experiences that we are passing through have 
been duplicated at one time or another in the world. In and of 
itself the prevailing wickedness is not a sign that the coming of 
the Lord is near. The Bible declares that “the whole world lieth 
in wickedness;” “lieth in the wicked one,” some versions give it. 
It is like a child lulled to sleep in the arms of its nurse. Satan is 
lulling to sleep the whole world in that way. The unregenerate 
heart has always been in rebellion against God and not subject to 
the will of God. Sometimes this wickedness has been unrestrained, 
the same as in the closing days of the Roman Empire, as in Sodom 
and Gomorrah, as in other ages of the world. Sometimes when 
God’s children were living as near to Him as they ought and His 
Spirit was resting upon them, their very presence has been a re¬ 
straining influence in the world. 

The sad fact at the present time is that all the sins that are men¬ 
tioned by the apostle Paul in Romans i as being in the heathen 
world, are in the last days to be found in the Christian church, 
among those who have a form of godliness but deny the power 
thereof. See 2 Tim. 3:1-5. So the perils of the last days are not 
because there is wickedness in the world, nor because wickedness 
in the world is increasing; but it is because wickedness has come 
into the church of Christ, and all the evil principles of the unre¬ 
generate heart are manifest among those who ought to be a restrain¬ 
ing influence by their very presence. If the salt have lost its savor, 
how can it help to save that in which it is cast? When the pro¬ 
fessed church of Christ sets aside God’s standard, and has none 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 67 

other save the wishes of the natural heart, times are indeed perilous. 
And this is what the apostle points out. 

There have been earthquakes before, great and terrible ones, 
destructive of life. These earthquakes have nearly always been 
confined to few localities. We hear more of them now than we 
did before because instruments have been perfected; and yet the 
very best records show that there has been a tremendous increase 
in the number of destructive earthquakes. Our Lord tells us that 
when these earthquakes occur in divers places, they are the be¬ 
ginning of sorrows, or, literally, the beginning of the birthpangs 
which shall issue in the destruction of things earthly and the com¬ 
ing of the Master. 

The great evidence at the present time is not that there is simply 
one sign or two signs of Christ’s coming, but a great aggregation 
of signs, a concentration of a score or more of signs all focusing 
right down in this time of the end, in which we are living; and it 
is the Master’s words which declare, “When ye shall see all these 
things, know that He is near, even at the doors.” 


The Millennial Reign. Rev. 20:1-6. 

Do not Revelation 20:6 (last part) and Revelation 5:10 
prove that the reign during the one thousand years will 
be on this earth? 

Not at all. Revelation 5:10 declares in that anticipatory song, 
“We shall reign on the earth;” but it does not say when. The 
thousand years’ reign in the New Jerusalem in heaven is the be¬ 
ginning of the eternal reign; but it differs from what comes after 
in that it is a work of judgment based on what is written in the 
books with respect to the wicked. John 13:36; 14:1-3; 1 Thessa- 
lonians 4:16, 17, with Revelation 14:1-3; 15:2, 3; 19:1, conclusively 
show that at Christ’s second coming the saints are taken to heaven, 
to the many mansions in the city of God. The sea of glass and the 
throne, Revelation 4:1-6 shows to be in heaven. During this time 
the earth lies empty, desolate of inhabitants. And yet the saints 


68 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

have entered upon their inheritance, for the glorious city which 
they have sought (Heb. 13:14) is a part of the eternal kingdom 
(Heb. 11:14-16; Rev. 21:1, 2). John 17:24, to which our corres¬ 
pondent refers, takes in not only Christ’s work in heaven during 
the thousand years, but the whole eternal reign. 

The Kingdom of God. Luke 17:20, 21. 

What is meant in Luke 17:20, “The kingdom of God 
cometh not with observation,” and the next verse, which 
says, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Are the king¬ 
dom of God and the coming of Christ the same? Or 
what is meant? 

The kingdom of God is revealed in different aspects. “Jeho¬ 
vah hath established His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom 
ruleth over all.” Ps. 103:19. That kingdom includes: (1) God, the 
King; (2) His territory, the universe; (3) His throne, or center 
and seat of government; (4) His law, or rule of government; (5) 
His subjects, those who are loyal to Him. That kingdom is now 
in operation, and always was, and the throne of the everlasting 
Father is “the throne of grace.” Heb. 4:16. 

Christ has not yet taken His kingdom, and will not until He 
comes again. He now sits as priest on the Father’s throne, gather¬ 
ing out subjects for His kingdom. Compare the following: Luke 
19:11, 12; Dan. 7:13, 14; Ps. 2:7-9; P s - II0:i ; Heb. 8:1; Rev. 3:21; 
11 :i8; Matt. 25:31. 

Now it is evident that while the kingdom of God is literal, it 
is also spiritual. Before one can be a citizen of that kingdom, He 
must accept God’s rule; God’s law must be in the heart; and it is 
the work of grace to write this law in the heart. 

This work is not heralded by pomp, or power, or display; it 
“cometh not with observation.” Man opens his heart, and God, 
by His Spirit, comes in, and the man becomes a citizen of a heav¬ 
enly kingdom. The Jews did not know this; they would not dis¬ 
cern the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom. “How can a man be 
born again?” was the language of darkness and unbelief. The 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


69 


King, God in Christ, was there; but they knew it not. None said 
to them, “Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is in 
the midst of you” (R. V., margin), or, as the margin of the Author¬ 
ized Version reads, “among you.” See the following, where the 
same word is rendered “among”: Matt. 20:26, 27; 26:5; Luke 1: 
28, 42; John 1:26. Vincent says: " Within : Better, in the midst of. 
Meyer acutely remarks that' you refers to the Pharisees, in whose 
hearts nothing certainly found a place less than did the ethical 
kingdom of God.’ Moreover, Jesus is not speaking of the inward¬ 
ness of the kingdom, but of its presence ”—“Word Studies in the 
New Testament.” 

Christ’s kingdom is not His coming; but it is then set up. 

A View of the Coming Kingdom. Matt. 16 : 28 . 

“Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, 
which shall not taste of death, TILL they see the Son of 
man coming in His kingdom.” Matt. 16:28. Who are re¬ 
ferred to by the phrase, “There be some standing here”? 

Surely not those to whom Christ was speaking, was it? 

And, “Shall not taste of death, TILL they see the Son of 
man” ? Was this clause intended to mean that some would 
be stricken dead immediately after they had seen Christ 
coming in the clouds of glory, the second time? 

The words are found in the same connection in Matthew 16:28; 
Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27. 

They are preceded by a prediction of Christ’s suffering and 
death, and the necessity of following Him, and are followed by the 
story of the transfiguration. 

Taking the transfiguration with the lesson it was intended to 
convey, and the lesson it did convey according to one of the apos¬ 
tles, we are forced to the conclusion that Christ referred to His 
own disciples by the “some standing here.” 

His promise was that they should “see the Son of man coming 
in His kingdom” (Matthew), see “the kingdom of God come 
with power” (Mark), “see the kingdom of God” (Luke). 

The great essential things in the kingdom of God are the King, 


70 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the subjects, and their condition. These subjects will be made up 
o£ two classes when Christ comes,—the righteous dead who have 
been sleeping and are then raised from the dead, and the righteous 
living who will then be translated, i Cor. 15:51-54; 1 Thess. 4:13-17. 

In the transfiguration scene we have all these concomitants: 
there was Christ, the glorious King, whose countenance was altered 
and whose garments were so exceeding white and glistening as no 
fuller on earth could whiten them; there was Moses, the represen¬ 
tative of those who had died and shall be raised from the dead 
(Rom. 5:14; Jude 9); there was Elijah, who had been translated 
to heaven without seeing death (2 Kings 2:11). It was the min¬ 
iature representation of what Christ’s second coming will be to 
His people. 

Peter refers to this very transfiguration scene as proof that the 
apostles had not followed “cunningly devised fables” when they 
had made known “the power and coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ.” 2 Peter 1:16-18. 

A word further: “Till” does not involve the meaning suggested. 
The whole scene of Christ’s future kingdom was given to encour¬ 
age the disciples in their coming task. 

The Second Advent. 

1. Does the second advent take place before the plagues 
come upon the wicked, and after the tribulation of the 
saints at the hands of the “beast”? Are the saints caught 
up between the tribulation and the plagues? If they are 
not then caught up, whence come the men in heaven not 
able to enter the temple on account of God’s glory? Rev. 

I 5 :8 * 

2. Do the saints sit in judgment on the earth or in the 
air? Rev. 20:4. If not upon earth, when do they return 
to set up the everlasting kingdom? Over whom do they 
reign during the thousand years? Rev. 20:5, 6. If in the 
air, why, since the earth will be freed from the wicked if 
the plagues come before the saints are caught up? 

1. The second advent of Christ takes place after the plagues are 
poured out upon the wicked; for those whom the plagues do not 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


71 


destroy are destroyed at His presence, when He appears. See Rev. 
16:17 an d 19:21. His coming does not occur during the sixth 
plague. See Rev. 16:15. The tribulation of the saints under the 
persecuting power of the beast extended from 538 to 1798 a. d. See 
Dan. 7:25 and parallel scriptures. The saints are therefore caught 
up after both the tribulation and the plagues. Revelation 15:8 in 
the original does not say “no man,” but “none,” or “no one.” See 
Revised Version. Yet there are men in heaven. When Christ 
ascended, He led “a multitude of captives” (Eph. 4:8, margin), 
who were raised at His resurrection (Matt. 27:52,53). These assist 
Him in His heavenly work. Rev. 4:4. 

2. The saints shall sit in judgment in heaven in the holy city, 
with Christ. Compare John 14:1-3; Rev. 20:4; 14:1-5; 19:1; 1 Cor. 
6:2, 3. The everlasting kingdom begins in the holy city above, the 
capital of the new earth, which will come down upon the earth at 
the close of the thousand years. Revelation 20 and 21. The saints 
shall reign in judgment with Christ over the wicked, a judgment 
which will be executed at the close of the thousand years. The 
last question has been answered in the foregoing. 


The Number From Each Tribe. Rev. 7:5-8. 

Does Revelation 7:5-8 literally mean that just an even 
number of descendants of each tribe of Israel will be 
saved? 

The true Israel of God are not those numbered among the tribes 
of earth, nor have they ever been, only as those tribes were con¬ 
nected with Christ by faith. There are no known twelve earthly 
tribes now. But in God’s record above, where the names of true 
Israel are written, the twelve tribes still exist, not made up neces¬ 
sarily or largely from the descendants of the Hebrews, but from 
the believing of all nations. For it is by faith that Israel shall be 
saved. “And so [“by faith,” verse 20] all Israel shall be saved.” 
Rom. 11:26; also 9:6-8; Gal. 3:26-29; Eph. 2:20; 3:6. All who 
enter the city of God will enter as one of the twelve heavenly tribes. 
Rev. 21:12. The numbers mentioned in Revelation 7:5-8, 12,000 


72 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

from each tribe, do not refer to the earthly tribes, but to those re¬ 
corded in heaven; nor does it include all that are saved under each 
tribe, but those who are saved out of the last generation of men. 
The sealing work of Revelation 7:1-8 is a work which takes place 
just before Christ comes, and the 144,000 of that chapter are identi¬ 
cal with the company of Revelation 14:1-5. 

Months, Not Years. Daniel 8 and 9. 

How do you account for the fact that it seems im¬ 
probable that Daniel 9:24-27 is an explanation of the 
vision of Daniel 8, when the vision of the eighth chapter 
was given fifteen years before that of the ninth chapter 
when there is no hint of such a thing in Daniel’s prayer 
(9:1-19) or in Gabriel’s expounding of the vision? What 
year was the third year of the reign of Belshazzar? Was 
it 553 b.c. ? Are there tablets to prove that Ussher is wrong 
in his reckoning? 

We answer both together. There is no fifteen-year period be¬ 
tween the two chapters. Ussher is wrong. He supposed that Na- 
bonidus, the last king of Babylon, mentioned in the records of 
history that came down to him, was identical with the Belshazzar 
of the Bible. If that were the case, the third year of Nabonidus 
was 553 b. c. This did not satisfy all Bible students. It was sug¬ 
gested by one devout man that there must have been a second 
ruler in Babylon, intimated in Belshazzar’s promise to Daniel. 
Belshazzar promises Daniel, if he will read the writing, that he 
will be the third ruler in the kingdom. This implies a second ruler. 

Belshazzar was the second. There must have been a first. This 
is revealed in the tablets. One of the tablets records a prayer writ¬ 
ten by Nabonidus for Belshazzar his son, whom he had associated 
with himself in his kingdom. Belshazzar reigned but three years, 
and in the third year of his reign he was slain and Babylon was 
captured. There is also a tablet recording the capture of Babylon 
and the death of Belshazzar, or the son of King Nabonidus. There¬ 
fore the time between the visions of chapter 8 and chapter 9 is but 
a matter of a few months instead of fifteen years. 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


73 


You will note in the eighth chapter that the vision was explained 
to Daniel with one exception, and that was the time. Gabriel, who 
was commissioned to make Daniel understand the dream, did so 
as far as Daniel was able to bear it; and the angel explained all 
but the matter of the time, when Daniel fainted. Daniel was still 
anxious to know the rest of the vision; therefore his prayer. He 
seemed to have connected the seventy years of captivity with the 
vision to some extent, and so he prayed for understanding. 

The angel who had been commissioned to make Daniel under¬ 
stand came again. That he had reference to the vision of the 
eighth chapter is clearly evident from his very first words to Daniel: 
“At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went 
forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: 
therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.” Then 
he says, “Seventy weeks are determined [cut off] upon thy people;” 
that is, seventy weeks of the 2300 days. This seems to us very clear 
indeed. If there is no connection between the chapters, then Ga¬ 
briel left the vision of Daniel 8 unexplained, and there is no per¬ 
tinency to the words of Gabriel as he meets Daniel the second time. 

The Two Witnesses. Rev. 11:3. 

What is the meaning of Revelation 11:3, and who 
are the two witnesses? 

God’s law of witness is that there shall at least be two witnessing 
to the same thing. Deut. 19:15; Matt. 18:16; 2 Cor. 13:1. The two 
witnesses of Jesus Christ were God’s word in the Scriptures, and 
God’s word in the life and works of Christ. John 5:36, 39. Thus 
the Father and the Son witnessed to the same thing. John 8:17,18. 
Thus the Old Testament, the Scriptures which were known be¬ 
fore Christ came, and the New Testament, in which are recorded 
the life and works of Christ, are God’s witnesses of the ages. In a 
still broader sense, the two witnesses of God are His written word 
and the living epistle of His true church, in whom that word is 
inwrought and revealed. It was dimly revealed during the 1260 
days of Revelation 11:3. This was prophetic of the Dark Ages of 


74 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the union of Church and State—538 to 1798 a. d. —when the enemy, 
through an apostate church, endeavored to destroy the witnesses of 
God’s word. They prophesied in sackcloth, in mourning, in perse¬ 
cution, but they were not destroyed. Their power is in God, and 
the oil of the grace of His Spirit supplies the power so that every 
word will prove effectual, every prophecy will be fulfilled. 

God’s Throne. Rev. 21:3. 

Will God’s throne be on this earth? Rev. 21:3. Is it 
the throne of God the Father or God the Son? 

The context would indicate that it is the throne of the Father. 
“Behold,” says the heavenly voice; a new thing is to be seen,—“the 
tabernacle [dwelling place] of God is with men, and He will dwell 
with them, . . . and God Himself shall be with them.” “And the 
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein.” Rev. 22:3. How 
supremely fitting it is that the place where the Son of God suffered 
and died should be the most exalted in all the universe! Where 
sin’s curse lay the heaviest, there God’s grace will restore it, a fit¬ 
ting place for His throne. The time of Revelation 2113 is after the 
millennium; 1 Corinthians 15:24 is before the thousand years. 

Destruction of "Beast” and "False Prophet.” 

When were the “beast” and the “false prophet” of Reve¬ 
lation 19:20 cast into the lake of fire and brimstone? 

Before the millennium. The “beast” and the “false prophet” are 
symbols of systems which will be destroyed by the glory of Christ’s 
presence when He comes. At that time “a fire shall devour before 
Him,” and the earth shall be set on fire at His presence. See 2 Thess. 
2:8; Ps. 50:3; 97:3; Isa. 30:33. The last text shows that when the 
unveiled presence of God shall be revealed to the sin-cursed earth, 
the earth will be set on fire, though not universally so. But all the 
works of man will be broken down and consumed, and thus all 
earthly systems, prominent and predominating among which are 
the “beast” and the “false prophet,” will be destroyed. They live 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


75 


and seemingly prosper till the great day of the Lord breaks upon 
the world, but are then taken by the calamities and snares of their 
own wickedness, and perish in the fires kindled by God’s presence. 
Rev. 19:20. At the end of the thousand years the whole earth will 
be converted into a vast lake of fire, which will consume all of 
sin; and all who have identified themselves with sin will be cast 
into the lake of fire, where “the beast and the false prophet are 
[were cast],” at the beginning of the thousand years. Before the 
millennium these systems and their devotees perish as a conse¬ 
quence; but after the millennium the people meet the full fruition 
of their evil deeds as individuals. 

The Pronouns in 1 Corinthians 15:25. 

Please explain 1 Corinthians 15:25: “He must reign, 
till He hath put all enemies under His feet.” 

Who must reign? Who subjects the enemies? Under whose 
feet? In Psalm 110:1 David says: “Jehovah saith unto my Lord 
[Adonai], Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies 
Thy footstool.” This was fulfilled when Jesus ascended on high 
after His resurrection and took His place at the right hand of the 
Father, as priest-king. Eph. 1:20, 21. So Jesus declares in His 
message through John, “He that overcometh, I will give to him to 
sit down with Me in My throne, as I also overcame, and sat down 
with My Father in His throne.” Rev. 3:21. While on the Father’s 
throne, Jesus reigns as priest-king. Heb. 8:1, 2; Zech. 6:12, 13. 
When His work as priest is ended, He will then take His own 
throne, and reign thereon forever. Dan. 7:13, 14; Matt. 25:31. To 
help the reader, we paraphrase 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, as follows: 
“Then cometh the end [of Christ’s reign as priest in the gospel 
dispensation of grace, Matt. 24:14; 28:18, 20], when He [Christ] 
shall [as king-priest] deliver up the kingdom [of grace] to God, 
even the Father; when He [the Father] shall have abolished all 
rule and all authority and power [according to His promise in 
Psalm 110:1]. For He [Christ] must reign [on His Father’s throne, 
Zech. 6:12,13], till He [the Father] hath put all His enemies under 


76 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

His [Christ’s] feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 
For, He [the Father in purpose] put all things in subjection under 
His [Christ’s] feet. But when He [the Father] saith, All things 
are put in subjection, it is evident that He [the Father] is excepted 
who did subject all things unto Him [Christ]. And when all things 
have been subjected unto Him [Christ], then shall the Son also 
Himself be subjected to Him that did subject all things unto Him, 
that God may be all in all.” Studied in the light of Christ’s priest¬ 
hood, the subject is perfectly clear. 

Were the Old Testament Prophets Mistaken? 

Were the Old Testament prophets mistaken in their 
predictions concerning Israel, as in Isaiah 11:11-16; Jere¬ 
miah 16:14, 15; 31:31, and other prophecies? 

There are certain principles which will help us greatly to under¬ 
stand the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Israel, if 
we will learn and apply the principles. Otherwise all is confusion. 

1. Many of God’s promises and covenants in the Old and the 
New Testament are to Israel. They come through the Jews to Gen¬ 
tiles. They are not to the Gentiles as such. Rom. 9:4. The Gentile, 
the stranger, the foreigner, is blessed only as he takes hold of God’s 
covenants. Isa. 56:1-8; Eph. 2:11-22; Rom. 11:17. “Salvation is of 
the Jews.” John 4:22. 

2. Some of these promises and prophecies of the ancient proph¬ 
ets were fulfilled in the restoration from Babylon. 

3. Some of these predictions are what may be called double 
prophecies, in which the prophet’s vision included events close at 
hand and some far off, just as in one’s view of the mountains, two 
peaks appear as one, though when we reach them, we find them 
separated by miles of valley. The prophecies fulfilled before Christ 
were fulfilled under the typical covenant conditions then existing; 
those fulfilled after Christ, according to the confirmed, antitypical 
covenant conditions. In the times previous to Christ, the Jews as 
a nation occupied the center of the field; since Christ, it is the 
Israel by faith, God’s remnant church wherever found. 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


77 


4. Some of these prophecies are conditional, depending upon 
Israel’s acceptance or rejection. These conditions are very clearly 
stated in Jeremiah 18:7-10. The prophecy of the sanctuary of Ezek¬ 
iel (chapters 37 to 48) is one of these. That sanctuary will never 
be built. 

5. He who attempts to read the ancient prophecies of God con¬ 
cerning Israel without taking into consideration the clearer revela¬ 
tions of the New Testament is bound to go astray. Read the em¬ 
phatic words of Paul: “By revelation He made known unto me the 
mystery; . . . which in other ages was not made \nown unto the 
sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and 
prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and 
of the same body, and parta\ers of His promise in Christ by the 
gospel.” Eph. 3:3-6. It therefore follows that whoever fixes up a 
theory that excludes God’s great gospel work to the world, for all 
alike, in which " there cannot be Gree\ and few, circumcision and 
uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,” is astray, and is bound to go 
farther astray. 

In harmony with these principles, our inquirer will have no 
trouble in settling many difficulties. He may find many obscure 
texts. Let him abide by the principles; the texts will sooner or later 
fall into line. The new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 was confirmed 
by the death of Christ upon the cross. See Heb. 8:8-10. Its blessed 
fruitage is forever, and all brought in by it will be of Israel. 


The "Seven Times.” 

Kindly give an explanation of Leviticus 26:27, 28. 

What is the meaning of the “seven times”? 

The expression “seven times” is used repeatedly in this chapter. 
It is sometimes said to refer to seven different years, these years, of 
360 days to the year, meaning 2,520 prophetic days, or literal years; 
but that is not the evident thought of the expression. One reading 
the text will see that it states not that God is going to punish seven 
times and then seven times more and then seven times more. It 


6 


78 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

signifies sevenfold, that is, to the very fullness. Seven is the num¬ 
ber of completion. The term in the original simply indicates seven, 
or sevenfold. The Hebrew word is used in the sense of sevenfold. 
See Genesis 4:24—Cain avenged sevenfold. It is used in most cases 
simply as a number. Spurrell renders “sevenfold” in each of the 
four instances where the expression occurs in this chapter. The 
clear, evident meaning is that, on account of the sins of the people, 
God would visit upon them full and complete punishment. 

The Earth Desolated. 

Is the earth desolate during the millennial period? 

What of the wicked ? Where do the saints dwell during 
that period? 

That the earth will be desolated by the destruction of the wicked 
is clearly shown by such texts as Isaiah 24:1-3; 34:8-15; Zephaniah 
1:2, 3; and other scriptures. This is declared by the prophet to 
occur at the presence of the Lord (Jer. 4:23-27); and by the apostle, 
at Christ’s coming, which is the same thing (2 Thess. 2:8; Rev. 
19:21). The reader will notice that those who have not been slain 
by plague and battle (“the remnant,” those who remain) are de¬ 
stroyed by the presence of Christ and the words He speaks. Also 
in connection with Christ’s coming, the righteous dead are raised, 
and all the righteous are changed to immortality, and are taken by 
Christ to the mansions He has gone to prepare, in the New Jeru¬ 
salem, the city of God in heaven. See 1 Thess. 4:16; compare with 
John 13:36; 14:1-3. 

In harmony with this, we are told that the saints “have in heaven 
a better and an enduring substance.” Heb. 10 34. In holy vision, 
John saw them there before the throne of God, on the crystal sea 
(Rev. 14:1-3), and heard the sound of the multitude of voices prais¬ 
ing God (Rev. 19:1). Then, as the righteous are taken to heaven 
and the wicked all slain, the earth must be desolate. How long 
it is desolate is shown by two scriptures,—“many days” (Isa. 24:21, 
22), “until the thousand years were finished” (Rev. 20:5). At the 
end of this period, the wicked are raised from the dead; the New 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


79 


Jerusalem, the capital of the new earth, descends from heaven with 
the saints; Satan and his host strive to take the city (Rev. 20:7-9), 
and the devouring fire of God’s presence destroys them. The earth 
is then restored for the eternal inheritance of the righteous. Rev. 
21:1-7. Thus the righteous are “recompensed in the earth: much 
more the wicked and the sinner.” Prov. 11:31. 

During the Thousand Years. 

Will you please explain Isaiah 34:11-15? Does the fire 
destroy all the animals that live at the coming of Christ? 

Or are there animals on the earth at that time? 

There seems to be no evidence that when our Lord shall come 
the second time all life on the earth will be destroyed. All human 
life will be destroyed. Not only does Isaiah teach that, but Jere¬ 
miah 4:25 declares, “I beheld, and, lo, there was no man.” See 
also Rev. 19:21. Of those left on the earth after the great wars that 
sweep over the inhabitable part of the globe have wrought their 
work, it is said, “The remnant were slain with the sword of Him 
that sat upon the horse.” That is, they will perish in the glory of 
Christ’s presence. But there are beasts that remain. 

The fire is not, then, universal. It is kindled here and there, and 
the whole earth becomes a desolate wilderness; but Isaiah 34, which 
clearly seems to use Idumea as a type of that desolate condition, 
would indicate that there will be wild beasts and birds of prey 
which will inhabit the earth during that time. It is to these that 
the call goes forth to come and devour the carcasses of the men 
upon the earth. See Rev. 19:17, 18. 

Then when the glory of God shall appear the second time, the 
whole sinful earth, with the exception of that place where the city 
stands, which has been made holy by the feet of the Son of God, 
will become one great lake of fire. The Scriptures do not say that 
the lake of fire will begin at the beginning of the thousand years, or 
at the beginning of the day of the Lord, but it will come in the 
day of the Lord. And so we read in 2 Peter 3:10, “The day of the 
Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens 


80 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be 
burned up.” 

Elijah the Prophet. Mai. 4:4-6. 

Will Elijah the prophet come down from heaven and 
preach the truth in the last days? 

The prophecy of Malachi is of twofold application. One of 
these applications was met in John the Baptist. The angel said of 
John, in Luke 1:17, “He shall go before His [Christ’s] face in the 
spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the 
children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to 
make ready for the Lord a people prepared for Him.” In Matthew 
11114, Jesus expressly says of John, “And if ye are willing to receive 
it, this is Elijah, that is to come.” Yet John was not the actual 
Elijah, as he expressly tells us in John 1:21, but he was Elijah in 
the sense of the fulfillment of that prophecy at the first advent of 
our Lord. 

But that which was fulfilled in a single individual then, takes a 
great deal wider scope in the last days. One individual could go to 
the Jewish nation and bring before all the people of that nation 
God’s message concerning Christ’s first coming. But there is to go 
to the world a message concerning His second coming. Rev. 14: 
6, 7. No one man can bear that message to the world; and so 
Elijah and John the Baptist are types of the people whom the Lord 
calls to bear His last message to the world. 

Conditions in the world will be the same as Elijah and John the 
Baptist found. For instance, there was the strongest kind of union 
of church and state, contrary to God and His truth, in the days of 
Elijah. We have Jezebel, the corrupt, idolatrous, sun-worshiping 
queen, urging on Ahab to the persecution of the Lord’s people. 
We have, in the days of John the Baptist, Herod, influenced by 
Herodias, the wicked woman whom he had married. In Elijah’s 
day, we have the backsliding of Israel and their turning away from 
the true God to sun worship. So it was in the days of John the 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


81 


Baptist; God’s people had departed from Him, and were sunken 
in cold, dead formalism, making void the commandments of God 
by their traditions. 

Those are the conditions that exist today; and God is asking 
His faithful people to give to the world the great threefold mes¬ 
sage of Revelation 14:6-12. That message meets all the conditions 
that are in the world, and that message will go and is going with 
“the spirit and power of Elijah,” just as John the Baptist went. 
Consequently the antitype of Elijah is not some man who may call 
himself Elijah; it is not vested in one individual, but in the whole 
people that will carry God’s message to the world. 

Another thought: the important thing is not the messenger, but 
the message. This has been true in all ages. The important thing 
was not Elijah—the mere man; it was the message from Jehovah 
which he bore to Ahab. John the Baptist, as a man, was not the 
important thing; and when the Jews asked him who he was, he 
declared, I am not this, and I am not that; but when they demanded 
who he was, he said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilder¬ 
ness.” The important thing was to be the voice of God. And so 
in the last message that shall go to the world, the important thing 
is the message, and not the persons that give it; but it will be given 
by an entire people, in the spirit and power of Elijah. 

The Seven Last Plagues. 

When the plagues begin to fall, can a person tell 
whether he will be saved or not? Will the first plague, 
the noisome and grievous sore, have any effect on God’s 
people? 

According to the ninety-first psalm, God’s children will be saved 
from the fearful plagues that fall upon the earth; and this is also 
indicated in Revelation 14, 15, 16. Certainly when the plagues 
begin to fall, God’s children will know that they are safe. They 
will suffer by seeing others suffering. They will have more or less 
suffering all through the time of trouble, but the plagues will not 
fall upon them. “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see 


82 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which 
is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no 
evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” 
Every sin will have been confessed. Every wrong thing will have 
gone beforehand to judgment, and the righteousness of Christ will 
cover all. Doubtless there will be feelings of deep unworthiness, 
feelings sometimes of almost despondency. The righteous will cry, 
as did Jacob at the brook Jabbok, “I will not let Thee go, except 
Thou bless me.” In the language of Jeremiah 30:7, “It is even the 
time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” 

Identity of the Horns. 

Will you kindly inform me as to whether the ten 
horns of Revelation 17 represent the same powers sym¬ 
bolized by the ten horns of Daniel 7? 

Not all of them are identical, though some doubtless are. The 
ten horns of Daniel 7 refer to the nations into which Rome was 
divided during the fourth and fifth centuries, three of which were 
plucked up to make way for the supremacy of the papacy. Never 
among those original ten was there unanimity of mind or coalition 
of effort to exalt the papacy. Three of the kingdoms were openly 
Arian, or antipapal. Never did these three give either moral or mili¬ 
tary support to the papacy. 

But the ten horns of Revelation 17 are contemporaneous, and 
are united with the beast for at least one prophetic hour, during 
which brief period they “have one mind, and shall give their power 
and strength unto the beast.” Rev. 17:13. This confederacy is as 
yet future. These ten horns are “ten kings, which have received 
no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the 
beast.” Verse 12. 

The ten horns of Daniel 7 refer primarily to the European na¬ 
tions associated with the rise and reign of the papacy during the 
Middle Ages. The ten horns of Revelation 17 are associated with 
the restoration of the papacy shortly before the return of Christ. 
Their brief triumphal reign will end in this wise: “The ten horns 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


83 


which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and 
shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and 
burn her with fire. For God hath put in their hearts to fulfill His 
will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until 
the words of God shall be fulfilled.” Rev. 17:16, 17. 

European powers will yet fulfill the specifications of this predic¬ 
tion. Just what international changes must precede the movement, 
we do not know. In all probability, some of the present nations of 
Europe will be numbered in the great coalition. l. e. f. 

Who Is "Taken Out of the Way”? 

Please explain 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8. Who is he that 
“now letteth,” or is “taken out of the way”? 

The text reads as follows: “And now ye know what withhold- 
eth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniq¬ 
uity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he 
be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, 
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and 
shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 

When the Bible was translated, the word “let” meant to restrain, 
or to hinder. The Revised Version renders the word, “restraineth.” 

To understand the text, it will be necessary to consider verses 
3 and 4. The “man of sin [shall] be revealed, the son of perdition; 
who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or 
that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, 
showing himself that he is God.” This is the development of “the 
falling away,” the chief exponent of which is the papacy. 

“The temple of God” is the church of God. See 1 Cor. 3:16; 
Eph. 2:19, 22. 

God in Christ dwells in the church by dwelling in the hearts of 
the individual members by faith. Gal. 2.<.20; Eph. 3:17. 

Just as long as faith abides in the church, just as long as Christ 
in His word is held paramount by the church, it must be evident 
to all that the man of sin could not reign or exalt himself in the 
church. If Christ is there, there is no room for another. Christ, 


84 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

therefore, must be the one who “withholdeth,” or, as the Revised 
Version reads, “restraineth,” the revelation of the man of sin in the 
temple of God, the church. But when Christ is rejected, when an 
apostate church tells Him to go, then the mystery of iniquity 
comes in. Or when the church opens the door of her heart to bid 
the mystery of iniquity to enter, Christ departs as an unwelcome 
guest. Therefore all that can or that ever did prevent the man of 
sin from exalting himself in the temple of God is Christ in the 
heart by faith. 

In harmony with this, we suggest the following paraphrase of 
the Revised Version of 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8: “And now ye know 
that which restraineth [the mystery of God, Col. 1327], to the end 
that he [the man of sin] may be revealed in his own season [fore¬ 
told by the prophets, Dan. 7:25]. For the mystery of lawlessness 
doth already work [it had begun to come into the church through 
unconverted men, 1 Tim. 1:19, 20; 2 Tim. 2:17, 18; 1 John 2:18; 
Gal. 4:8-10]; only there is one [Jesus Christ] that restraineth now, 
until He be taken out of the way [by unbelief]. And then shall be 
revealed the lawless one [as during the Dark Ages and since], 
whom the Lord Jesus shall slay [consume] with the breath of His 
mouth [Rev. 19:15], and bring to nought by the manifestation 
[forth-shining, brightness] of His coming [personal presence].” 

"This Generation.” 

Does the term “this generation” in Matthew 24:34 
refer to the generation to which Christ was speaking, 
or to some other? The term “this” would seem to make 
it apply to His own day. 

Let us consider these particulars: First, that which Jesus gave 
was a prophecy of His coming and of the signs of His coming. He 
was answering the threefold question of the disciples, “When shall 
these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of 
the end of the world?” Consequently He was not speaking for 
that generation alone, but for all other generations down to the 
time of His second coming. 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


85 


Second, inasmuch as it was the Spirit of Christ that inspired all 
the prophets, the Master must have taken into consideration all 
the various prophecies that pointed forward to His second com¬ 
ing. The Book is one book, the prophecies all have the one object 
—the second coming of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s prom¬ 
ises in Him. Therefore, in this great literal prophecy that is re¬ 
corded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, our Lord not only 
gave various literal signs of His coming, but also presupposed more 
or less knowledge, on the part of those who would live just before 
His coming, of other great events pointing to the same climax. 

Third, Jesus knew, because His Spirit inspired the prophets, 
that all the prophecies given by Daniel, and those to be given later 
through John, and Paul, and others, would be preached prior to 
His second coming; that the message of Joel would go forth, “Blow 
ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain;” 
that the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 would reach their fulfillment in 
1844; that the days foretold by the prophets, as expressed in Reve¬ 
lation 10.7, would be fulfilled,—in fact, that all the various lines 
of prophecy would culminate right down in these last days in 
which we are now living. He knew that these things would be pro¬ 
claimed by His faithful servants, in obedience to His command, so 
that all the world would hear the message of His coming; and 
these signs, therefore, that He gave, would simply be corroboration 
of all the other prophecies given in His word. So “this genera¬ 
tion” would apply not to the generation who listened to His words, 
but to the generation in which these prophecies culminated. The 
term “this” does not necessarily apply to the thing then present. 
The present tense and the things expressing present time are often 
used for the future. 

Take, for instance, Exodus 12:2, “This month shall be unto 
you the beginning of months.” That, of course, was at the very 
beginning of the first month, Abib. Instruction is then given re¬ 
garding the Passover. Then note the twelfth verse, which applies 
fourteen days later: “I will pass through the land of Egypt this 
night, and will smite all the first-born.” The “this night” does not 
refer to the particular time at which the Lord talked with Moses, 


86 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

but fourteen nights from that time. These instances, and others 
that might be given, show conclusively that the term “this” is used 
in referring to the future, as well as to the present. 

Our Lord carried His disciples down through a variety of signs, 
some of which would not at all indicate that His coming was near, 
some of which would increase in intensity as that day approached, 
and three of which would but little precede His coming—the dark¬ 
ening of the sun and of the moon, and the falling of the stars. But 
the darkening of the sun and of the moon, and the falling of the 
stars were to be seen not merely with the physical eye, but in the 
light of the prophecy. There have been many darkenings of the 
sun and of the moon; there have been various star showers. But 
that to which the Master referred was to come at a particular time, 
—“in those days, after that tribulation,”—that is, after the long 
tribulation caused by the persecution of the Dark Ages. Just prior 
to the time in which the days of that persecution—the 1260 years 
of Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12 and 13—should end, came the 
darkening of the sun and of the moon; and a few years later came 
the falling of the stars. 

Now those signs must be seen in the light of our Lord’s proph¬ 
ecy, in order to be signs of the end, and they could not be seen until 
after the falling of the stars had taken place, November 13, 1833,— 
the most remarkable “star shower” within the records of astronom¬ 
ical phenomena. 

But the message which should bear to the world the tidings of 
the second coming of Christ, which should prepare the world for 
that coming, could not be said to go forth until it went forth in 
its fullness, after the end of the 2300 days, in 1844. That is the 
beginning of the time of the last great threefold message recorded 
in Revelation 14:6-14, a positive feature of which is, “The hour 
of His judgment is come.” Therefore this generation to which 
our Lord referred was the generation that should bear to the world 
the last message of mercy, and proclaim the Lord’s coming, with 
all the accompanying signs, given not simply in Matthew 24, Mark 
13, or Luke 21, but in all the various prophecies of His word. 

Now, just as the generation to which Noah bore witness of the 


PROPHECY AND SECOND ADVENT 


87 


coming Deluge did not pass until the event foretold occurred, just 
as the generation to which our Lord first came heard the message 
of His coming, just so truly will the last generation to which is 
borne the message of His coming witness that coming. He delays 
it long in order to give the world opportunity to repent. The vision 
seems to tarry; but it is because of God’s long-suffering, in pity for 
men who have not repented. 


Section V 


THE MORAL LAW 

A Question on the Law. Matt. 5:17. 

1. Matt. 5:17.—What law was Christ talking about? 

2. Matt. 5:18.—When will it all be fullfilled? 

3. Matt. 5:19.—What commandments was Christ talk¬ 
ing about? 

Here is the whole scripture, Matt. 5:17-20: 

“17. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the proph¬ 
ets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. 

“18. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one 
jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 

“19. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least com¬ 
mands, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the 
kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the 
same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 

“20. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall 
exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in 
no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” 

1. Christ is talking about the moral law of God, the standard of 
righteousness. Verse 20. God’s royal law is summarily compre¬ 
hended in the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments. See James 2: 
8-12; Rom. 7:7; Ex. 24:12; 31:18; Eccl. 12:13, T 4 * 

2. All will never be fulfilled. The law is fulfilled when man 
fully keeps, or fills up, its eternal breadth and depth. Only One 
did this, Christ Jesus. We can do it only in Christ. The prophets 
— that is, what they prophesied—will never be fulfilled; for they 
prophesy of a glorious eternity as long as the days of God, and 
eternity will never be filled up. Therefore never a jot or a tittle will 
pass from the law. 

3. The commandments of God’s law may be summarized in 
love to God and love to man (Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22: 
36-40). Mere outward observance, is not keeping the law. This is 


88 


THE MORAL LAW 


89 


self-righteousness, the righteousness that falls short (Matt. 5:20). 
God requires heart righteousness, the keeping of the law from the 
heart by the Spirit (Matt. 5:21-28; Rom. 1:16,17(8:4; 1 John 5:3). 
Dr. Albert Barnes well remarks that he who considers that any 
command of God is too small to be obeyed is unworthy of His 
kingdom. 

Deeds of the Law. Rom. 3:20. 

Please explain Romans 3:20. What are the deeds of the 
law spoken of here? 

The deeds of the law spoken of in Romans 3:20 are efforts 
which man puts forth to save himself. Verse 19 declares that all 
the world is guilty before God; and verse 9, that Jews and Gentiles 
are all under sin. Therefore no deeds which they can do will meet 
the requirements of the law; for they are as imperfect as the mortal 
sinful man who does them. Thus man cannot be justified by his 
imperfect deeds. He can only be justified by One who has wrought 
out for him perfect righteousness, and that One is our Lord Jesus 
Christ. But the Lord places His righteousness upon us for all the 
sins of the past, and His righteousness within us to change us from 
sin, in order that we may, by the same grace, walk above sin in the 
future. Sin has dominion over us when we are transgressing God’s 
law and committing sin, and so only. It is God’s desire that His 
grace shall so fill our hearts, not simply for forgiveness of the past, 
but for strength to live for Him in the future, “that the righteous¬ 
ness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the 
flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom. 8:4. 

Justified Without the Law. Rom. 3:28. 

Please explain Romans 3:28. Why should we keep 
the law if we are justified without the deeds of the law? 

Justification, or counting that just which is not just, has refer¬ 
ence to the past. Here is a man who has been a criminal—a bank 
robber—for forty years. He desires to be a good citizen. He can- 


90 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

not say, I will keep the law from this time forward, and then I will 
be accounted a good citizen. This would not do. The judge would 
say: Your future obedience will satisfy only the future; it will not 
change the past. It cannot undo the crimes you have committed. 
No deeds of the law you can do will ever restore you to citizen¬ 
ship; but the governor is a merciful man, he will pardon all your 
crimes. He goes to the governor; and in his goodness of heart, the 
governor pardons or justifies the criminal, and he does this with¬ 
out the fulfilling of the deeds of the law on the part of the criminal. 
Should the pardoned bank robber now say: Well, the governor has 
pardoned me for my crimes, which I could not undo; why should 
I keep the law in the future? I will go back to robbing banks 
again. We all know that everyone would condemn a course like 
that. The governor pardons that men may obey the law. Christ 
forgives what we may not undo,—not that we may sin again 
(Rom. 6:1), but that we may keep the law (Rom. 8:4). He not 
only forgives sin, but He changes the heart so that it will not hate 
God’s law (Rom. 8:7), but love it, and love to obey it (1 John 5:3). 
He who feels that he is justified of Christ in order that he may 
again go into sin, has misunderstood the purpose of the law and 
forgiveness, and is not justified at all. 

"Under the Law,” and "Without the Law.” 

What does Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 9:19-22? 

The passage reads as follows: 

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself 
servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews 
I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are 
under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are 
under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being 
not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might 
gain them that are without law.” 

What do the terms “under the law” and “without the law” 
mean? Where “under the law” occurs in verse 20, the first three 
times, the meaning is the same,—under condemnation by the law, 


THE MORAL LAW 


91 


or under sin. The term in these instances comes from the Greek 
words hupo nomon. “Under the law” in verse 21 comes from en- 
nomon, in the law, or subject to the law. “Without the law” means 
“lawless,” “without law,” and is used of the Gentiles (Rom. 2:12), 
who were without God’s written law. It refers to the heathen in 
this text. 

The apostle says that in his labor he put himself in the place of 
others as far as it was possible, so as to win them to Christ. The 
Jew’s prejudices were taken into consideration, as Paul, a Jew, 
could well do. The sinner’s condition was appreciated, for Paul 
knew what it was to be under the power of sin. See Romans 7; 
1 Tim. 1 :i5- Those who did not know God’s law, who were igno¬ 
rant of the true God, Paul met on their own ground, as a man by 
nature on the same level with them. See Acts 14:15-17. 

Paul, however, says that while he did everything in his power 
to meet all these cases, he did not sin in so doing, he did not do evil 
that good might come. He was not without law to God, for he 
knew God’s law. Christ had become his surety, his righteousness, 
and he labored for all in the spirit of his Saviour that he might 
win all. This is what the text is designed to teach. 

The Law and the Prophets. Luke 16 : 16 . 

Please explain Luke 16:16. Some say that there were 
to be no more prophets after John; also that this statement 
does away with the moral law. 

It does not mean that there were no more prophets after John, 
for the apostles, some of the apostles at least, if not all, were proph¬ 
ets. See Acts 2:17, 18; 19:6; 21:9, 10; 1 Cor. 14:29-32. It does not 
mean that the law of God was then done away. In fact, nearly all 
those who make this claim contend also that the law was abolished 
at the cross, over two years later. It was after this that our Lord 
said, “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. 
19:17. Who would charge Christ with teaching obedience to an 
abolished law? He tells us in the very connection of Luke 16:16, 
in fact, the next verse, “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, 


92 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

than one tittle of the law to fail.” We have found that it does not 
mean that prophets were no more or the law abolished; what does 
it mean? It means, “The law and the prophets [were preached] 
until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and 
every man presseth into it.” Before John came, the teachers of God 
taught the law and the prophets,—the Scriptures,—but did not see 
all that they meant; but when John came, he preached the fulfill¬ 
ment of many of these prophecies in the advent of the Messiah. 
The Royal One of David’s line was born, the present truth for that 
time was proclaimed (Matt. 3:2, 3), Satan was working as never 
before, and only the earnest and persevering would enter the king¬ 
dom. 

"Under the Law.” Rom. 6:14. 

What is meant by being “under the law”? 

This is quite clearly shown in the passages where the expression 
occurs, as, for instance, Romans 6:14; Galatians 5:18: “Sin shall 
not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but 
under grace;” “but if ye are led by the Spirit, ye are not under the 
law.” In the first scripture we are told that sin does not have do¬ 
minion over those who are not under the law, and that those who 
are not under law are under grace. God’s object of grace is the 
forgiveness of sins. This is shown in an abundance of passages. 
See Rom. 5:1, 2; 3:20-31. Grace is unmerited favor. By the un¬ 
merited favor of God our sins are taken away. The one thing 
which points out sin, is the law. “Nay, I had not known sin,” de¬ 
clares the apostle, “except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” 
Rom. 7:7. “Where no law is, there is no transgression.” Rom. 4: 
15. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3:20. Therefore, 
grace brings us into harmony with God’s law: first, by forgiving 
all the sin which the law points out, for which the law condemns 
us; and secondly, by placing within us God’s Holy Spirit in har¬ 
mony with His law, to write that law in our hearts (Heb. 8:10), 
and so enable us to keep His law, not in our strength, but in the 
strength of the Spirit. 


THE MORAL LAW 


93 


Those, then, who are “under the law” are those who are con¬ 
demned by the law, who are still in their sins. Those who are not 
“under the law” are those whose sins are forgiven and who by the 
power of the Spirit of God are keeping the law. “For this is the 
love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His command¬ 
ments are not grievous.” i John 5:3. And that love is born within 
our heart by the Holy Ghost which He has given us. Rom. 5:5. 

It is one of the saddest things in this world to hear a Christian 
say, when confronted with the duty of doing God’s command¬ 
ments, “I am not under the law,” using an expression which shows 
liberty from sin as an excuse or license to disobey. The only thing 
in this world which leads the soul to disobey is “the carnal mind,” 
which “is enmity against God;” “is not subject to the law of God, 
neither indeed can be.” Rom. 8:7. Therefore the man who de¬ 
clares, as an excuse for disobedience to God, that he is not under 
the law, is confessing by that very thing that he has the carnal 
mind; while, on the other hand, those who walk in the Spirit and 
fulfill the fruits of the Spirit, the apostle assures us in Galatians 5 
are not under the law, for “against such there is no law.” Why? 
Because they are keeping the law of God. 


Commandments Before Moses. 

Is there evidence that certainly shows that God gave 
His law to the people before the time of Moses, or that 
any kept the law or the commandments before that time ? 

Surely there is, plenty of evidence, of which we briefly give a part: 

God is ever the same, of unchangeable, righteous character. 
Mai. 3:6; James 1:17. His law, His requirements, must therefore 
be the same in all ages. 

He asks men in all dispensations to be like Him. When He said 
to Israel of old, “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am 
holy” (Lev. 19:2), He meant the same kind of holiness, of the same 
standard, as He did when He said through Peter, “Be ye holy; for 
I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15, 16). 


7 


94 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

When God said to Abraham, “I am the Almighty God; walk 
before Me, and be thou perfect” (Gen. 17:1); when His word said, 
“Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah 
walked with God” (Gen. 6:9); when it was said to Israel, “Thou 
shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God” (Deut. 18:13); when Jesus 
said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in 
heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48); when Paul said, “Be perfect, be of 
good comfort, be of one mind” (2 Cor. 13:11),— all must have 
meant the same perfection, the same standard, the same kind of 
walking, the same mind; for how “can two walk together, except 
they be agreed?” All were, therefore, required to keep God’s per¬ 
fect, holy law. See Ps. 18:30; 19:7; Rom. 7:12. These scriptures 
clearly show that God’s requirements are the same in all dispen¬ 
sations. 

The negative side proves the same. “Sin is the transgression of 
the law.” 1 John 3:4. “Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: 
for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not 
covet.” Rom. 7:7. “The wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23. “Sin, 
when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15. Therefore, 
wherever there is death, there is sin; and wherever there is sin, 
there is law. “And so death passed upon all men, for that all have 
sinned,” all have transgressed the law. Rom. 5:12. “Until the law” 
in the next verse means until it was given at Sinai. Paul proves 
that the law existed before it was there given, by the very fact that 
men were counted sinners, and died; for “sin is not imputed when 
there is no law.” 

Every commandment of the Decalogue can be traced before 
Sinai, either by its observance or by its transgression. Note them 
in order: (1) Joshua 24:2; (2) Gen. 31:30, 34; (3) Jacob’s family 
must have taken God’s name in vain when they worshiped idols 
(Gen. 35:2, 4); (4) Ex. 16:4, 25-28; (5) Gen. 9:21-25; (6) Ex. 1: 
16, 17; 2:14; (7) Gen. 39:7-9; (8) Gen. 31:32; (9) Gen. 31:30; 
(10) Gen. 3:6; 6:2. All the law of God was broken by the ante¬ 
diluvians. Gen. 6:5, 11. Most of its principles were transgressed 
in the Garden of Eden. 

There is one more evidence. God said of Abraham, “the father 


The Moral Law 


95 


of all them that believe,” “Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept 
My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Gen. 
26:5. See also Gen. 18:19. 

Surely this evidence “certainly shows” that God gave His law 
to the people before it was given from Sinai. 

The Heathen and the Law. Rom. 2:14, 15. 

If the heathen have received the law in their hearts, 
why is the Sabbath not found, as well as other precepts? 

Rom. 2:14, 15. 

The scripture itself reads, “For when Gentiles that have not the 
law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, 
are the law unto themselves; in that they show the work of the 
law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness there¬ 
with, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excus¬ 
ing them.” 

The great principles of the law summed up in the Old Testa¬ 
ment, and by our Saviour approved, are supreme love to God and 
equal love to our fellow men. The heathen who has that to the full¬ 
est sense of his capacity certainly will be excused by his own con¬ 
science. Yet during that very time he might have a multitude of 
wives. During that very time he might be doing other things that 
conventionalities of this age would not permit, that greater light 
from the word of God would condemn, just as did Abraham, just 
as did Jacob. The law written in their hearts is primarily not com¬ 
plete knowledge, but complete principle of doing right. God has 
expressed this in 2 Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord run to 
and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in 
the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” 

That is what God asks—the perfect affection, the perfect heart. 
The one dominant thing that moves the man is his affection, his 
love. He may know scarcely anything. He may have seen but 
one ray of light from the throne of God; but that ray of light 
dominates his life, and the man who yields himself to that ray of 
light is accepted of God. But the man who has a knowledge of 
all the Ten Commandments of God’s law, and yet yields himself 


96 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

to one sin, however small it may seem, turns away from the light. 
If he continues in such a course ultimately he will be rejected. It 
is not knowledge that saves us—that is, mental knowledge, intel¬ 
lectual knowledge; it is the life of God in the soul, which comes 
by our yielding ourselves absolutely to all the light we see. The 
heathen who has that in his heart will yield to all the light that 
comes to him—to the sixth commandment, the seventh com¬ 
mandment, the eighth commandment, the fourth commandment. 
It is to him, then, only a matter of revelation as testing the love 
that is in his heart; and that love is held by the Master for obedi¬ 
ence to God’s law. 

"End of the Law for Righteousness.” Rom. 10:4. 

Please explain Romans 10:4 so as to show definitely 
the meaning of “the end of the law.” 

The one who has faithfully studied the book of Romans up to 
Romans 10:4 will have no question about the meaning of “the 
end of the law.” Chapter 1 shows that the world is condemned, 
that the only hope is the gospel of Christ; chapter 2, that the Jews 
stand with the Gentiles—that although they have “the form of 
knowledge and of the truth in the law,” still they have transgressed 
it. Chapter 3 brings both of them together; tells us that all the 
world is guilty before God, condemned by the law. And that 
chapter closes with the great thought that only by faith can we be 
justified, because no law can justify its transgressor. Chapter 4 
shows how Abraham found relief by believing in God; chapter 5, 
that faith brings us peace and justification and hope. 

Chapter 6 discusses baptism and what it ought to mean to the 
sinner, that his sins are buried, but his whole life is yielded to 
Christ; that now he lives the new life in Christ Jesus. But the 
new life must be just such a life as Christ led, and Christ kept all 
God’s commandments. 

Chapter 7 is a further development of the subject, showing that 
not the law, but the sinner, is bad; and the law, having no salva¬ 
tion in itself, drives the sinner who longs to be saved to the Lord 


THE MORAL LAW 


97 


Jesus Christ. Therefore, while the sinner has no hope in the law, 
he finds hope in the grace of Christ. 

Chapter 8 is an amplification of that glorious freedom in Christ. 
It expressly tells us that the only mind that is at enmity with God 
and against God’s law is the carnal mind, which cannot be subject 
to God’s law. And it brings before us the acme of Christian ex¬ 
perience,—love to God; and love is exemplified in obedience to 
God’s law. i John 5:3. 

Chapter 9 carries the same thought further,—that the Jews 
sought righteousness by their works, not by faith. And Romans 
10:4 is a climax to the argument that has been presented before,— 
that the very thing the Jews sought and could not find, is found 
in Christ Jesus our Lord; that Christ is “the end of the law for 
righteousness.” “End” is not used here to signify the limit, or the 
last of a thing. It does not mean that the law is no more when we 
come to Christ. “End” is used in the sense of object, just as James 
says, “Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the 
end of the Lord” (James 5:11),—that is, the object of the Lord in 
afflicting Job. 

It is a sad thing, is it not, that the text should be used to justify 
sin,—to teach that when we reach the Lord Jesus, we may dis¬ 
regard His law? But the text does not say that Christ is the end 
of the law for transgression. The object of the law is not that 
we may break the law, but “Christ is the end of the law for right - 
eousness.” The law drives us to Christ, that in Him we may find 
the righteousness which the law demands. To that righteousness 
the law witnesses, as we are told in the twenty-first verse of the 
third chapter. That is, the righteousness that we have through 
our Lord Jesus Christ is declared by the law to be perfect. The 
man who is made righteous will keep the righteous law. 

Decalogue — or Law of Ceremonies? 

To what law does Paul refer in Galatians 3:19, 24-26? 

Also in chapters 2:16-21; 3:2-5, n-13; 4:4, 5? 

It is impossible, in the space that we have, to attempt a detailed 
explanation of all these texts. What will help our inquirers, we 


98 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

are sure, will be one or two preliminary considerations: First, what 
is the general subject of the epistle? Doubtless all will agree that 
it is justification by faith in Christ, with the emphasis on “in 
Christ;” not justification by doing, not justification by any law 
whatsoever, but justification by faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. 
It is the enforcing of the same truth that is taught by Romans. 
Second, this point also is emphasized: that law cannot justify; and 
in some cases, it seems to us that the apostle is talking of law in 
general. No law can justify the transgressor. It matters not what 
it is or what its nature is. Any law, given by any authority, which 
has been transgressed by any person subject to that authority, con¬ 
demns that person. He cannot be justified except by the grace of 
the one in authority. But when the apostle brings it right down to 
the very sinner himself, the law which condemns must be the law 
which points out sin; and the only law which points out sin is 
the law of Ten Commandments. 

In chapter 2:16, he could say to the Galatian brethren that 
they knew that a man is not justified by the works of the law, 
but by the faith of Jesus Christ; and that if a man should say, 
“I will be justified by works that I can do,” whatever those works 
were, he was building again the things which he had destroyed, 
he was making Christ a minister of sin, and that he could not do. 
Righteousness could not come to the sinner by the law; it must 
come through Christ. In Galatians 3:19, the question is asked, 
“Wherefore then serveth the law?” In other words, What was 
purposed in speaking the law ? The only trouble to our inquirers, 
we apprehend, is the term “added;” but that expression seems to 
be clearly parallel with Romans 5:20: “Moreover the law entered, 
that the offense might abound,” that sin might be exceeding sinful. 
The consciences of men had become so perverted that they could 
not be trusted. The law which God wrote in man’s very nature 
in the beginning had become so effaced by sin that man’s con¬ 
science must be brought to a standard which was unperverted 
and unpervertible. Consequently, when God brought His people 
out of Egypt, He gave them the great moral standard, in order 
that they might know what sin was; and that moral standard 


THE MORAL LAW 


99 


was the Ten Commandments. It entered then in its written form, 
“that the offense might abound,” that sin might be seen to be ex¬ 
ceeding sinful. It was spoken to that people. Heb. 12:19. 

The Greek word rendered “added” in Galatians 3:19 is the 
same as that rendered “spoken” in Hebrews 12:19. The law was 
spo\en by God in order that sin might be more clearly seen. It 
was added because of transgressions; that is, that transgression 
might be known to be what it really is. It is the same Greek word 
in the Septuagint in Deuteronomy 5:22, “He added no more,” 
referring directly to the Ten Commandments. That Greek word 
is prostithemi. It is defined by Baxter, “To put to, or near to, lay 
with, or by the side of, to add, superadd, adjoin.” What it refers 
to in these texts, is that God added the law in its written form. 

It was given in written form until a certain time, designated 
as “till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made.” 
The promise is that of the inheritance, or the new earth. Rom. 
4:13. That is the promise which was given to Abraham. In that 
new earth state God’s law will be written in the hearts of all His 
children. Every single precept will be an enabling act, in which 
they will find power, and grace, and pleasure to do God’s will. 
But until sinners are no more the law is needed, and needed in 
the form in which God has given it. 

When Christ came the first time He came as our sacrifice, came 
to give Himself for us; He came as “the way.” He is coming again 
as the life, as the king; and then He will say, “Inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” That coming 
is set forth in Ezekiel 21:25-27. Referring to Zedekiah, whose 
throne was just overturned by Babylon, the prophet says: “And 
thou, O deadly wounded wicked one, the prince of Israel, whose 
day is come, in the time of the iniquity of the end, thus saith the 
Lord Jehovah: Remove the miter, and take off the crown; this shall 
be no more the same; exalt that which is low, and abase that which 
is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it: this also shall be 
no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.” 

After the overturning of the kingdom by Babylon came the 
overturning by Medo-Persia, by Grecia, by Rome; and succeeding 


100 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Rome, in all its later phases, will come the Lord Jesus Christ to 
take the kingdom and reign forever. Until that time comes, God’s 
law will stand in its written form as a reproof to all sinners. Thus 
in Galatians 4:4 we read that “God sent forth His Son, . . . made 
under the law,” that He might redeem all those who are under the 
condemnation of the law. That law prescribes all duty, forbids all 
sin, and is in absolute harmony with His Holy Spirit. Conse¬ 
quently, in him in whom the fruits of the Spirit are manifest, there 
is no condemnation; God’s law is not against him. But if a man 
is doing that which is contrary to the Spirit, he is still under the 
law, condemned by it. 

The Law in Galatians. 

Will you give me a little light on two passages in Ga¬ 
latians,—chapter 3, verses 9 to 13, and chapter 4:24, 25? 

Galatians 3:9 declares that they who are of faith are blessed 
with faithful Abraham. God counts them one in His family, 
because they have the same faith. Verse 10: “As many as are of 
the works of the law are under a curse.” That is, those who are 
depending upon the law for salvation. Why? Because they are 
transgressors of the law, and the law condemns such to death. 
No law can save a man who is transgressing it. Consequently the 
justice of the conclusion in the eleventh verse: “No man is justified 
by the law: . . . the righteous shall live by faith.” That is always 
true; it has always been true; it was true before sin entered, that 
the only way by which man could live was by faith in God, with a 
heart open on the Godward side, receiving life and blessing from 
Him, and pouring it out to others. And since man has sinned, 
it is still true. The only hope for justification is by faith in Christ, 
and the only hope in right living is by the same faith. 

But the man who has that faith in God will live according to 
God’s law. That law is the reflection of God, and faith will appro¬ 
priate the power of God for obedience to His law. But the law does 
not justify; the righteousness of God in Christ justifies. If a man 
could obey the law, he would live by it; but only through Christ can 


THE MORAL LAW 


101 


he obey it. Christ therefore redeemed us from the curse of the 
law, having become a curse for us. And He did it that upon every 
soul in this world, Gentiles as well as Jews, might come the blessing 
of Abraham in Christ Jesus; and that blessing was that Abraham 
believed God, and God counted it to him for righteousness. 

The same faith brings also the Spirit of God. Now God made 
a covenant with Abraham to give him all that; and the law did 
not take away from the covenant. The law was not designed to 
take away from the covenant. The covenant was given in order 
that the law might be established in the heart; and that covenant 
abides in Christ Jesus. See Heb. 8:9,10. 

The Seed of Abraham 

Abraham had different posterities; but the blessing comes 
through one posterity,—Christ,—wholly and solely by promise. 
Why, then, was the law given ? That sin might be seen to be ex¬ 
ceeding sinful, so that man might flee from the wrath, and find 
refuge in Christ Jesus. Paul gives a parable of Abraham’s two sons 
—the one by Hagar, the bondwoman; the other by Sarah, a free- 
woman. The one was born after the flesh, through the work of 
man wholly; the other was born after the Spirit, through promise 
and power of God, and man co-operating with that promise. God 
promised Abraham that through his seed all should be blessed. 
Abraham fixed matters up in his own way; and in order to carry 
out his own way, he had a son by Hagar, his bondmaid. God said, 
“This shall not be the seed.” 

And that plan and scheme of Abraham’s through Hagar was a 
type, or figure, of the covenant from Mount Sinai, that gendered, 
or bore, children to bondage. What the apostle means by the 
covenant at Sinai was Israel’s promise to do God’s will, relying 
upon power which they possessed of themselves: “All that the 
Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.” They felt that they 
could work it out themselves. See Exodus 19. They left the Lord 
out of the question, save in the blessings. They wanted God’s 
blessings, but they wanted to buy those blessings, or obtain them 
through their own works. 


102 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

But the child born to Sarah is a type of the new covenant, in 
which God promises, if we will but receive the promise, if we will 
but co-operate with Him by yielding wholly and absolutely to His 
plan, to save us. He brought the promised seed to Abraham by 
miraculous power through Sarah. And so God brings to all His 
children deliverance from sin when they yield wholly to His plan. 
We can see what the results of the two plans are. If the first were 
successful, man would glory in himself. If Abraham had been suc¬ 
cessful in his scheme, he would have taken the glory to himself. 
But as there is no success in that, and success lies wholly through 
God and His power, all the glory is given to God. 

Hagar stands for the religion possessed by those who would 
work out their own salvation, not through God’s working in them, 
but through their own power. Sarah, or Isaac, stands for the 
mighty power and promise of God that is able to work above all 
appearance, and bring out of what seems to be utterly impossible, 
that which is eternally true and will eternally abide. Therefore we 
have the comfort, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children 
of promise.” 

"Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Ex. 20:13. 

God’s word says, “Thou shalt not kill.” As war involves 
the taking of human life, is it any more justifiable to do 
wholesale killing under Federal or state orders than to kill 
an individual ? In case one should refuse to fight, he pre¬ 
sumably would be tried and shot. Now, should we walk 
up bravely and be shot rather than go and shoot others? 

In ancient times, God directed His people to fight; but He 
Himself ruled. His people were His agents. Yet there are in¬ 
stances in His word which seem clearly to show that God would 
have interposed and preserved His people from war if they had 
but trusted in Him. An instance is the taking of Jericho, as re¬ 
corded in the first chapters of Joshua. All that God called His 
children to do was to march around that city and blow trumpets. 
The army of heaven threw down the walls and conquered the 


THE MORAL LAW 


103 


people. When Jehoshaphat was besieged by the enemy,—Moab 
and Ammon and others,—he proclaimed a fast, and sought God; 
and word came from the prophet that they should not be afraid 
by reason of the great multitude that had come against them, 
“for the battle is not yours, but God’s,”—that they had no need 
to fight, but should simply stand still, and see the salvation of God. 
And thus they went forth, with singers in the forefront of the 
battle, praising God; and the Ammonites and the Moabites and 
the Edomites destroyed one another, and God’s children were 
saved. See 2 Chronicles 20. That was in the olden times. 

Our example is Christ Jesus our Lord. He did not resist. He 
reproved His ardent disciple when he drew the sword. Matt. 
26:51, 52. He healed the wound that Peter made. Luke 22:51, 52. 
He has told Christians that the weapons of our warfare are not 
carnal, yet they are mighty through God in pulling down strong¬ 
holds that no earthly army can overthrow—the fortresses of sin 
within the heart. 2 Cor. 10:4, 5. 

Christian nations surely ought not to be at war, and the fact 
that they are at war shows that Christianity is wanting. On the 
other hand, those who are carnal will fight; and all the nations 
of the earth are carnal. They will live by carnal laws. And God 
has ordained civil government, because He could have no other 
among carnal men. In these great struggles, God often overrules. 
He casts down one, and sets up another. He gives the kingdoms 
of the earth to whom He will. He makes the wrath of man to 
praise Him; and that which cannot be used in that way, He re¬ 
strains to His own glory. 

As to what the duty of an individual would be, that individual 
must decide for himself. If he goes to the army under the com¬ 
mand of his ruler, he may not be obliged to kill anyone. He can 
act as nurse in caring for the sick and the wounded. He may be 
able to do a wonderful missionary work with the men around him, 
yet he himself cause no loss of life. The one motive which should 
animate the Christian should be the motive which actuated our 
Lord Jesus Christ,—“The Son of man is not come to destroy 
men’s lives, but to save them.” 


104 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Grace and Obedience. 

There lies before us a letter from one who declares that 
he is saved by grace; and then he asks where there is 
one scripture in God’s word, from Genesis to Revelation, 
to show that God’s law of commandments was ever given 
to Gentiles. He tells us further that they were counted 
“dogs and strangers by the Jews, who had no dealings 
with the Gentiles;” and he asks, “Could it be possible 
that the Jews and the Gentiles were under the same law, 
and yet could have no dealings with one another?” 

In the first place, there is not one single word in Scripture which 
shows that the Jews and the Gentiles had no dealings with one an¬ 
other; they had dealings with one another all the way through, 
even when the Gentiles were in gross idolatry and the Jews were 
obedient to God. Of one class it is said that the Jews had no deal¬ 
ings with them, and that is the Samaritans (John 4:9); but the 
Samaritans professed to keep the same law that the Jews did. The 
only difficulty between the two peoples was that one held only to 
the books of Moses, and the other to the entire Old Testament; one 
held that the holy mountain was Gerizim, and the other held that 
it was Zion. The Samaritans wanted to help build God’s temple 
in the time of Ezra and Zerubbabel, but the Jews utterly refused 
to permit them to do so; therefore the enmity between the two 
factions. But these who were at enmity professed to keep the same 
law. See Ezra 4:1-3. 

Secondly, if this inquirer will read Isaiah 56, he will there learn 
that the Lord gives great promises to the Gentiles who will unite 
with His covenant and keep His Sabbath. Note that the chapter 
applies to the Christian dispensation, when God’s “salvation is 
near to come,” and His “righteousness to be revealed.” Then He 
tells us, “Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man 
that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, 
and keepeth his hand from doing any evil.” Verses 6, 7: “Also the 
sons of the stranger [“foreigners,” A. R.V., the Gentiles], that 
join themselves to the Lord, to serve Him, and to love the name 
of the Lord, to be His servants, every one that \eepeth the Sab - 


THE MORAL LAW 


105 


bath from polluting it, and taketh hold of My covenant; even 
them will I bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in 
My house of prayer.” Certainly this is very clear and definite. 

Thirdly, there is not one single promise to the Gentiles, in all 
God’s word, of hope or salvation, save only as they become a part 
of spiritual Israel. Gal. 3:29. Therefore Paul, writing to the Ephe¬ 
sian Christians, who were once Gentile heathen, says: “Wherefore 
remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are 
called uncircumcision by that which is called the circumcision in 
the flesh made by hands; that at that time ye were without Christ, 
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from 
the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the 
world.” That is the condition of all Gentiles, as such; but these 
Gentiles came to Christ, and they became a part of Israel in com¬ 
ing to Him. Therefore Paul says: “But now in Christ Jesus ye who 
sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. . . . 
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow 
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are 
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ 
Himself being the chief cornerstone.” Surely this is clear. There is 
abundance of testimony along the same line. Jesus declares, “Sal¬ 
vation is of the Jews” (John 4:22); and the apostle Paul declares 
that the true Jew is he that is one inwardly (Rom. 2:28, 29). 

The Bible does not say we are saved by Sabbathkeeping, or 
by obedience to father or mother, or by abstaining from killing 
or stealing, or by the keeping of any of God’s commandments. No 
Christian who understands the word ever teaches any such thing 
as that. Salvation is in Christ, and in Christ alone. By Him only 
are we saved; but we would press home this question upon the 
heart: Are we saved to sin and sinning, or are we saved to right¬ 
eousness? Did the Lord Jesus Christ leave heaven and die, did He 
bestow upon us His grace, did He bring home His Spirit to our 
heart, and give us hope, in order that we might go on in sin and 
disloyalty? Was that the object of Christ’s death? or did He die in 
order to save us from sin and sinning, to make us loyal children, 
children who would delight in God’s commandments, even as He 


106 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

delighted in them? This is the question that faces every Christian 
who is puzzled or troubled by the foolish objections which are 
brought up concerning the object of grace. The object of God’s 
grace is to make men and women so that they will be obedient 
men and obedient women, true men and true women, loyal men 
and loyal women; and if the grace which we have received does 
not do that, we have received the grace of God in vain. Compare 
2 Cor. 6:1 and Titus 2:11, 12; Rom. 3:21. 

Let us press home another question to the heart of our querist: 
Would he like to live near to neighbors who do not believe that 
their Christianity requires them to keep God’s law? Would he 
feel that his automobile is safe in the garage, or his chickens 
in the chicken house, or his potatoes in the field ? It seems as though 
some of these questions are really practical. The Hon. Wm. J. 
Bryan remarked one time, in one of his lectures, that he would 
feel it very unsafe to leave his pocketbook around among Christians 
who did not believe in the authority and binding obligations of 
God’s commandments. That was a wise and just remark. A per¬ 
son does not know God’s grace and its purpose who cannot see 
that God’s grace is given in order to bring us back to Him and 
into harmony with His holy law. Then His commandments are 
not a yoke of bondage, but a delight; and it is easier to observe 
His commandments, and walk in them, than it is to go the way 
of the world. 


Section VI 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 

The Importance of the Sabbath. 

If, as Seventh-day Adventists claim, the Sabbath is of 
such importance, why did God wait until almost the 
end before calling the world’s attention to it? Will not 
sincere Sundaykeepers be saved ? If so, why do Seventh- 
day Adventists come over here to China and stir up all 
this discord? 

Every truth of God is important. Albert Barnes truly says, in 
his comments on Matthew 5:17-20, that anyone who considers any 
command of God so unimportant as not to be obeyed is unworthy 
of His kingdom. In this world one of the problems being worked 
out is that of sin,—a great incident in God’s eternal work. One of 
the factors in those problems is that any man who desires his own 
way shall be allowed to have it, in order that not only the people of 
this world, but the beings in other worlds, may see what it means to 
depart from God and His truth. Consequently God suffered the 
great apostasy of Christian times; but, in great mercy, He fore¬ 
told it, told the character of that apostasy, and what that apostasy 
would do, how it would think to change the times and the law of 
God. Dan. 7:25. He forewarned men, so that they need not fall 
into apostasy. Yet He permitted it to come, that men might see 
what iniquity would do if allowed to work itself out. But just as 
truly as He predicted that, He also predicted the Reformation, pre¬ 
dicted the time when those who were among His people should 
take their feet from the Sabbath, from doing their pleasure on 
God’s holy day, when they would restore the breach, build up again 
the wall that had been broken down by this apostate power. Isa. 
58:12, 13. That is the message which is going to the world at this 
time. 

But His people during that time of imperfect light, a time when 
darkness reigned because of apostasy, a time when so many lost 


108 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

sight of the great truth of the Bible, God will judge accordingly. 
So was it when Jesus came the first time. Great and important 
phases of truth had been buried under the traditions of the Jews. 
Jesus said of them, “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they 
had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.” If God 
did not give to the world in the last days His message concerning 
His Sabbath truth, He would not count as sinners those who were 
transgressing it, who yet with sincere souls thought they were do¬ 
ing God’s will. But He must demonstrate to the heavenly beings 
and to all mankind that notwithstanding all that apostasy has done, 
God will restore His truth, and will gather out of the last and dark¬ 
est and weakest generation a class of people who are keeping all 
the commandments of God and all the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12. 
To him who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, that message is a mes¬ 
sage of joy and gladness. 

The everlasting gospel of which this reform is a part is the ever¬ 
lasting good tidings (Rev. 14:6-14); and Seventh-day Adventists, 
if they would be true to God, must preach this glorious, glad light 
which God has given them of the blessed Sabbath, the memorial 
that it is of a great, kind heavenly Father, and the pledge 
that it is of a glorious Redeemer who is able to save to the utter¬ 
most. So while sincere Sundaykeepers who have been unwarned 
and who do not know God’s truth, who are living according to 
the light they have with perfect hearts, will be saved, yet God would 
have His children fully enlightened, and especially in these days 
predicted by the prophets. Hence we go to China and to all other 
nations because God’s message for this day is to go to “every na¬ 
tion and tribe and tongue and people.” Rev. 14:6. 

The Day of the Sabbath. 

Has the Sabbath been lost? Do we really know which 
is the true seventh day? 

What evidence will we accept? The greater part of Sabbath 
history is covered by the Bible; will we accept that as authority? 
No man who believes in a Sabbath at all could consistently do 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 109 

otherwise; for it is from the Bible that the Sabbath idea and insti¬ 
tution have come to us. 

1. In the Beginning 

“In the beginning” man knew the Sabbath. By three distinct 
steps the Creator founded the Sabbath. After working six days 
He rested upon the seventh day, making it God’s rest day. And 
then He blessed and sanctified, or set apart, the rest day, for all 
time to come. Gen. 2:2, 3. That day was the seventh of a cycle 
of days. It was the maker of the week, because all days were num¬ 
bered with respect to that one day. When God gave that day, man 
knew the day. There was surely no mistake “in the beginning.” 

2. At the Exodus 

Admitting, for the sake of making the truth clearer, that man 
in his idolatry may have forgotten the Sabbath during the cen¬ 
turies between the Garden of Eden and the Exodus, yet God had 
not forgotten it; and the first thing He did when He called His 
people out of Egypt, was to restore to them the Sabbath which, as 
a nation of slaves in sun-worshiping Egypt, they had not kept. 

More than this: By the fall of the manna God marked the sev¬ 
enth day each week by a threefold weekly miracle for forty years. 
God gave a double portion of manna on the sixth day; He divinely 
withheld it on the seventh day, the Sabbath. The manna which fell 
on the first five days would not keep over to the next day, but that 
which fell on the sixth day was divinely preserved over the Sab¬ 
bath. Israel must have known God’s Sabbath; for forty years it 
was stamped into the very life of the nation. The record of this 
is especially found in Exodus 16. The next month God confirmed 
that holy day by placing its written law in the very heart of the 
Decalogue. Ex. 20:8-11. It is the same Sabbath day, based on the 
same reasons, that we find in the beginning. 

3. At the First Advent 

When our Lord came, the Jews were observing the seventh day 
with much outward, Pharisaic ceremony. It was loaded down with 
rabbinical tradition till it had become a burden. From the Exodus 


8 


110 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

to that time no one claims that the Sabbath was lost. The Jews 
were still keeping the same day, but in the wrong way. Jesus Christ, 
in whom dwelt “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,” ob¬ 
served the same day. Moreover, He lifted it to a higher plane, or, 
rather, restored it to its primitive design, a blessing to mankind, 
instead of a yoke of bondage. 

Jesus Christ observed the Sabbath. He taught the perpetuity and 
immutability of that law of which the Sabbath was a part, even to 
its very jots and tittles. Matt. 5:17-20. He taught by precept and 
example perfect obedience to that law. Luke 4:16; John 15:10; 
Matt. 19:17. He died upon the cross to vindicate its justice and 
perfection, and to save men from sin, its transgression. 1 John 3:4; 
Rom. 7:7. By His perfect obedience imputed, we, who are sinners, 
by faith are counted righteous. Rom. 5:19. 

Surely, on the face of it, God would not leave men ignorant con¬ 
cerning one of the essential and important precepts of that law. 
Nor did He. For when His own heart was stilled in death, those 
who had followed Him and had been taught by Him, “rested the 
Sabbath day according to the commandment.” Luke 23:56. The 
next day was “the first day of the week.” Luke 24:1; Mark 16:1, 2. 

Therefore, at the first advent of Christ, at the beginning of what 
is called the Christian church (although that church began with 
Adam), the Sabbath was known, and the day of the Sabbath was 
still the seventh, the day just before “the first day of the week.” 

4. Since the First Advent 

What evidence is there that the day has not been lost since 
Bible times? Is the evidence sufficient to assure us? In reply we 
would say that it is simply overwhelming. Here are six consider¬ 
ations and proofs, every one of which is sufficient of itself: 

1. The Unreasonableness of the World’s Losing a Day.—It is 
not infrequent that a single person loses count of the days of the 
week. It is so rare a thing that a whole family loses count that such 
an occurrence is talked of for years. But whoever heard of a whole 
neighborhood or village or city or country losing a day and not 
knowing it? And to think of a world’s doing such a thing is too 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


111 


absurd to consider, especially when not a small portion of the world 
honored the first day of the week as devoted to the worship of the 
sun, “the wild solar holiday of all pagan times.” 

2. God’s Care.—It is unreasonable to believe that God requires 
the observance of an institution, as He certainly does by the perpet¬ 
ual Sabbath command, and then permits the day of the Sabbath to 
be lost to the world. Neither has He permitted it. 

3. The Jews.—At the time of the first advent the Jews were 
great sticklers for the Sabbath. When they were scattered to all the 
nations of earth at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, they 
carried the Sabbath with them. They have clung to the Sabbath, 
more or less strictly, ever since. Go where one will,—China or 
America, Russia or Australia, Morocco or Timbuctu, Tartary or 
Alaska, England or Hindustan,—the Jew has been there first, and 
has, by his singular custom, stamped the seventh day as “the Jew¬ 
ish Sabbath,” though God gave it to all men. If the Jews in one 
part of the world had lost the day, differences would have arisen 
as representatives of other countries met together. But on the au¬ 
thority of the late Rabbi Wise, no such differences were ever re¬ 
corded. 

4. Custom and History.—Nearly all the great nations have 
been at some time sun worshipers, regarding the day of the sun and 
the week. In a chart prepared by the late Rev. Wm. Jones of Lon¬ 
don, assisted by able linguists all over the world, the week and its 
days in 162 languages and dialects are given; all of these languages 
recognize the same order in the days of the week; and 102 of them 
call the seventh day the Sabbath, or by some equivalent term. 
Then, in all the histories, encyclopedias, dictionaries, chronological 
and ecclesiastical tables of any note, Sunday is known as the first 
day of the week, the day just after the seventh. According to all 
authentic history, ecclesiastical or secular, the day of the week is 
identified; there has been no change since the Son of God stamped 
it as divine by His life, His teaching, His death. 

5. The Churches.—The early church observed the Sabbath. Of 
this there is no doubt. Prof. Edward Brerewood, in his “Learned 
Treatise of the Sabbath,” Oxford, 1631, states what is said in sub- 


112 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

stance by other first-day writers: “The Sabbath of the seventh day 
. . . was religiously observed in the East church three hundred 
years and more after our Saviour’s passion.” And down to the year 
iooo no other day save the seventh was known by the term “Sab¬ 
bath.” Gradually the Sunday displaced the Sabbath, brought in by 
half-converted sun worshipers. There have been Christians, how¬ 
ever, who have observed the Sabbath all through the Christian era. 
But whether Sundaykeepers or Sabbathkeepers, there has been no 
dispute as to the day till engendered in these times to evade the 
force of God’s commandment. 

6. Astronomy.—The science of astronomy also bears evidence to 
the fact that there has been no lost time. Astronomical records and 
dates, as far back as 6oo b. c., agree with the computations made by 
astronomers today, bearing witness to the fact that there has been 
no lost time, no lost count of the order of the week. 

Now, reader, here are all these evidences. Surely the order of the 
days of the week has persisted from the beginning to the present. 
God’s Sabbath stands. 

Every objection men have ever brought against it or can ever 
bring against it has been met and can be met, save one, and that is 
the cross. It involves a cross to keep it. Its observance demands 
faith in God. But Christ will help us bear the cross, and the exer¬ 
cise of faith will lead the soul into a larger, clearer, more fruitful 
field of heart and life than he has ever known before. And in it all 
he will have Christ Jesus as companion, friend, and brother. 

Reasons for Keeping Saturday. 

1. What are your strongest reasons for keeping Satur¬ 
day, or what we call Saturday, for the Sabbath? 

2. Where is all your Scripture for doing so? 

3. Does your Sabbath begin at twelve o’clock noon on 
what we call Saturday? 

4. Do you make a distinction between the names “Sun¬ 
day” and “Sabbath”? 

1. We do not keep Saturday—that is, truly converted, Sabbath¬ 
keeping Christians do not. Saturday is a civil day, beginning at 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


113 


twelve midnight, and ending at twelve midnight. But the Sabbath 
begins at sunset on what is called Friday evening, and ends at sun¬ 
set on what is called Saturday evening; consequently the days are 
not synchronous, or identical. 

Our reasons for keeping the Sabbath are: First, the command¬ 
ment of God: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six 
days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is 
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, 
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid¬ 
servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 
for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all 
that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord 
blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Secondly, the example 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who kept His Father’s commandments, 
who did no sin, who left us an example, that we should follow in 
His steps. John 15:10; 1 Peter 2:21, 22. He therefore observed the 
Sabbath. Luke 4:16, and elsewhere. Surely there can be no stronger 
reasons than the eternal law of God, sanctioned and confirmed by 
prophet, apostle, and Jesus Christ, and the example of our Lord 
Himself. See 1 John 2:3-5. 

2. “Where is all your Scripture for doing so?” It is throughout 
the Bible. All that is said in the Bible regarding a weekly Sabbath 
applies wholly and exclusively to the seventh day. Take, for in¬ 
stance, the institution of the Sabbath in Genesis 2:2,3, and connect 
with it Mark 2:27, 28: “The Sabbath was made for man,” and for 
man in the beginning, before there was a division of races, or na¬ 
tions, or tribes. See Exodus 20:8-11; also the whole of Exodus 16, 
showing how God marked it out during the falling of the manna; 
Isaiah 56; Isaiah 58:13; 66:22, 23; Luke 23:56. Then regarding 
the whole law of God, of which the Sabbath is a part, see Matthew 
5:17-20; Psalm 111:7, 8. The last generation of men, who will 
welcome the Lord Jesus Christ, keep the commandments of God 
and the faith of Jesus. Rev. 14:12. These are only a small portion of 
the scriptures there are to confirm the great Sabbath truth. 

3. “Does your Sabbath begin at twelve o’clock?” No; as before 
stated, it begins at sunset. “From even unto even, shall ye celebrate 


114 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

your sabbaths.” Lev. 23:32. See also Nehemiah 13:15-22, which 
clearly shows that the Sabbath began at sunset, when the heavy 
shadows began to creep in; and this also is intimated in Matthew 
8:16; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:40. The context shows that this day was 
the Sabbath. The Jews would not bring their sick to be healed on 
the Sabbath day, on account of their superstition; but as soon as the 
sun set, they came with all their sick. This shows that the Sabbath 
closed at sunset. This is also in harmony with the making of the 
days in Genesis 1,—“The evening and the morning were the first 
day,” “the second day,” “the third day,” and so on, giving man, 
wherever he may be on the earth, a sure knowledge of the begin¬ 
ning and the closing of the day, and also the blessed privilege of 
welcoming the Sabbath when it comes, and bidding farewell to 
it as it goes,—something which the Sunday keeper does not ex¬ 
perience. 

4. “Do you make a distinction between the names ‘Sunday’ and 
‘Sabbath’?” Certainly we do. “Sunday” is the purely heathen name 
of the first day, so called in honor of the sun, to which it was dedi¬ 
cated. “Sabbath” is the divine name of the seventh day, and comes 
from God’s rest upon that day. 

For a broader study, we commend “The Lord’s Day the Test 
of the Ages,” a pamphlet costing 25 cents, which covers the Sab¬ 
bath in all dispensations. 

What Is the Lord’s Day? 

The Lord's day of the Holy Scripture must be the day which 
the Lord claims as His. In this, the word of God is very explicit. 
In Isaiah 58:13, the Lord calls the Sabbath “My holy day.” Exodus 
20:10 expressly says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 
thy God.” Matthew 28:1 and Mark 16:1, 2 clearly show that this 
seventh day is the seventh day of the wee\, the day just before “the 
first day of the week.” And in Mark 2:28, Jesus Christ declares, 
“The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.” What day, then, 
according to these scriptures, is the Lord’s day? There can be but 
one true answer,—-the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath of 
the Lord. 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


115 


It is admitted—it could not be otherwise—that the Bible does 
not say that “the Lord’s day” of Revelation 1:10 is the first day of 
the week. Why, then, call the first day of the week the Lord’s day ? 
Because, we are told, the early fathers called it that. But shall we 
take a “father” of an apostate church two hundred years this side 
of Christ, followed by other such “fathers,” as of more authority 
than Christ and His word? Less than forty days after Jehovah 
spoke with His own voice from Sinai, some of the “fathers” in 
Israel, Aaron among them, made an image to the Egyptian sun 
god Apis, and said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought 
thee up out of the land of Egypt.” And the next day they held a 
feast to it, which they called “a feast to Jehovah.” See Ex. 32:1-5. 
If the “fathers” of less than twoscore days’ apostasy were wrong in 
the face of God’s testimony, may it not be that the “fathers” two 
hundred years this side of Christ may also have been wrong ? The 
only safe rule to follow is the Lord’s word; and the Lord’s word 
declares that the Lord’s day is the seventh-day Sabbath. 

Did the Apostles Change the Sabbath? 

In a religious periodical, in answer to the question, 

“Who changed the Sabbath?” I find the statement given: 

“First by the authority of the apostles, delegated them by 
the Lord. Matt. 16:19. They kept the first day of the 
week. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1,2. Says Neander, ‘The apos¬ 
tles rejected the Sabbath to avoid the risk of mingling 
Judaism and Christianity.’ And also, secondly, because 
on that day Christ rose from the dead and appeared no less 
than five times to His followers. Thirdly, the outpouring 
of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost occurred on 
Sunday.” Will you please explain this? 

Regarding these statements, there is nothing in Matthew 16:19 
to show that the apostles were delegated to do anything else than 
to teach the word of God. That text itself ought to be explained 
by the great commission given in Matthew 28, in which Jesus told 
His disciples to teach all things He had commanded them; but He 
never commanded any change of the Sabbath; on the contrary, 


116 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

He declared that not “one jot or one tittle” of the law could be 
changed. Matt. 5:17-20; Luke 16:17. So Jeremiah was set over the 
nations “to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, 
and to plant” (chapter 1:10); but he simply did this by proclaim¬ 
ing God’s word concerning those nations (chapter 18:7-10). 

Secondly, we have no record that the apostles ever kept the first 
day of the week as a holyday. Acts 20:7 simply records a night 
meeting held at the beginning of the first day of the week, the rest 
of the day being spent in regular secular labor; and 1 Corinthians 
16:1, 2 does not indicate any gathering whatever, but that each 
man should lay by himself at home, on the first day of the week, 
as God had prospered him, the money he would send to the needy 
in Judea, so that it could be gathered when the apostle came. 

That the apostles did not reject the Sabbath to avoid the risk 
of mingling Judaism and Christianity is shown again and again 
by the labors and teaching of the apostle Paul. In the second 
chapter of Romans, he declares that the Jews had “the form of 
knowledge and of the truth in the law.” In Acts 20, he declares 
that he had “kept back nothing that was profitable,” but had 
taught all things that were necessary, had not shunned to declare 
“the whole counsel of God;” but nowhere is there any record that 
he had taught the Ephesian people any change in the Sabbath. 
He could say, as he met the Jews in Rome, as recorded in Acts 28, 
that he had done nothing against the custom of the fathers; and 
they could say they had heard no charge against him. That is, he 
had nowhere transgressed the moral law, as the Jews themselves 
regarded it. 

James tells us that we are to keep the royal law according to 
the Scripture, and whoso offends in one point is guilty of all. See 
James 2:8-12. And Peter declares (1 Peter 2:20-22) that Christ 
is made our example, who did no sin. That is, Christ kept the law. 
He is our example to follow. And John tells us that he who says 
he knows God, and keeps not His commandments, is a liar, and 
the truth is not in him; and continues by saying, “He that saith he 
abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” 
See 1 John 2:4-6. 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


117 


Neander lived a good many centuries this side of Christ. He 
had no more knowledge of the matter than hundreds of others. 
The very best knowledge, and the only knowledge, of what the 
apostles did is found in the Scriptures themselves. Jesus did rise 
from the dead on the first day of the week, and did appear to His 
disciples several times; but in no case did He tell them that that 
day was a holyday. He simply appeared to them on that day in 
order to show them that He was alive and had risen from the 
dead. As to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, the 
day of the week is not even mentioned, and some good authorities 
contend that it was the Sabbath day. Others think that it was 
Sunday. But the Lord passed over one first day in the ten days 
between His ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit, and that 
fact of itself shows that not the first day was to be honored, but 
the antitype of Pentecost. There is absolutely nothing in God’s 
word to indicate that the first day was set apart as a holyday, and 
very many first-day people acknowledge this. There is but one 
Bible Sabbath, that instituted and commanded of God and ob¬ 
served by our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Sabbath for Israel. 

If the Sabbath is a law for the Gentiles and the church, 
why do the Scriptures say, with precision, it is a law and 
a sign for Israel in the past and in the future? Ex. 
31:13-17; Ezek. 20:12, 13. If for the church, cite Biblical 
passages that ordained it. 

Let us say to our readers as emphatically as we can that God 
has no promise for the Gentiles in His word at all, only as they 
become Israel. The Gentile as a Gentile is utterly without hope, 
and so God’s word repeatedly declares. For to Israel pertain “the 
adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the 
law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the 
fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is 
over all.” Rom. 9:4, 5. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ was of the stock of Israel. So were all 
the prophets, and all the apostles; and Jesus Himself declares, 


118 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

“Salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22. The very term “Israel” is 
of spiritual significance. It was given to Jacob because he prevailed 
with God, and it means “prevailer with God.” “Thy name shall be 
called no more Jacob [supplanter], but Israel: for thou hast striven 
with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Gen. 32:28. Only 
those who have thus prevailed with God can ever keep God’s 
Sabbath; for the Sabbath is holy, and only holy men can keep a 
thing holy. God does not declare that the Sabbath shall be sanc¬ 
tified by our keeping it. He has already sanctified it. We are to 
keep it holy as He has made it holy; and the only way we can 
keep it holy is by having a holy heart. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, when a young man asked Him 
what he ought to do, “Keep the commandments.” Matt. 19:17. 
The apostle Paul declares: “Do we then make void the law 
through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” And in 
the book of Hebrews we are told that under the new covenant, 
God’s law—the law which existed in Jeremiah’s day, six hundred 
years before Christ—is written in the hearts of His children. 
Heb. 8:8-12; Jer. 31:31-34. 

But the Lord does not leave outside the Gentile, called by Him 
“the stranger.” And here is one of the promises which the Gentile 
may appropriate: “Also the foreigners that join themselves to 
Jehovah, to minister unto Him, and to love the name of Jehovah, 
to be His servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from profan¬ 
ing it, and holdeth fast My covenant; even them will I bring to 
My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer.” 
Isa. 56:6, 7. Without that covenant relationship with Israel, the 
apostle Paul declares, men have no hope, and are “without God 
in the world,” “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and 
strangers from the covenants of the promise.” Eph. 2:12. 

It is only Israel that will be saved. In that glorious city which 
God shall give to His children, there are twelve gates, and those 
gates are named after the tribes of Israel; and all who pass through 
those gates, in God’s plan, will pass in as members of one of the 
tribes. For “Israel shall be saved by Jehovah with an everlasting 
salvation.” Isa. 45:17. It is utter folly to ask a man to keep the 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


119 


Sabbath of the Lord who does not know the Lord. Nobody can 
compel one to keep the Sabbath who does not know God. What 
folly it is for men to attempt it! 

On What Day Was Christ Crucified? 

We would not take the space to answer this question were not 
so many agitated over it, and that needlessly. It is assumed from 
Matthew 12:40 that Jesus was in the grave three days and three 
nights; that He was crucified Wednesday, and therefore was raised 
from the dead in the closing hours of the Sabbath day; and there¬ 
fore the claim that the first day should be observed, because He 
rose from the dead on that day, falls to the ground. 

Out of the study arise these questions: 

1. On what day was Christ crucified? 

2. With what definiteness are we to understand the term “three 
days and three nights”? Do they mean absolutely seventy-two 
hours ? 

3. When do these days begin? 

4. On what day did Christ arise ? 

5. What bearing has the time upon the Sabbath question ? 

1. On What Day Was Christ Crucified? 

On this point Matthew says nothing. Mark expressly says, “And 
when even was now come, because it was the preparation, that 
is, the day before the Sabbath!’ Mark 15:42. In this instance the 
word “even” refers to the closing hours of the day, when the sun 
began to decline. Luke is in harmony with this: “It was the day 
of the preparation, and the Sabbath drew on” and that very Sab¬ 
bath day the women rested “according to the commandment.” 
Luke 23:54, 56. 

John gives us this testimony: “The Jews therefore, because it was 
the preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross 
upon the Sabbath (for the day of that Sabbath was a high day), 
asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might 


120 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

be taken away.” John 19:31. That Sabbath day had double dig¬ 
nity; it was a chief day of the Passover as well as the Sabbath. 

Obviously, all these testimonies would fix the crucifixion on the 
sixth day, from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m. Then, as the Sabbath drew on, 
the body of Jesus was taken down from the cross, hastily wrapped 
in the linen cloth with myrrh and aloes, and deposited in a rock- 
hewn tomb immediately adjacent to the place where the crucifixion 
occurred. John 19:41. 

2. The Term "Three Days,” Etc. 

Does this expression mean just seventy-two hours? or does it 
mean part of two days and the whole of one—that is, a part of the 
first day being counted, the whole of the second, of course, and a 
part of the third? That the latter is the case is evident from the 
use of the term in the various texts where this very period is re¬ 
ferred to. The following list of quotations and citations includes 
every instance of its occurrence: 

1. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s 
belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the 
heart of the earth.” Matt. 12:40. 

2. “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, 
and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and 
six years was this temple in building, and wilt Thou rear it up in 
three days? But He spake of the temple of His body.” John 2:19-21. 

3. “And He began to teach them, that the Son of man must suf¬ 
fer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief 
priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” 
Mark 8:31. 

4. “In three days.” Matt. 26:60, 61. 

5. “And there arose certain, and bare false witness against Him, 
saying, We heard Him say, I will destroy this temple that is made 
with hands, and within three days I will build another made with¬ 
out hands.” Mark 14:57, 58. 

6. “In three days.” Matt. 27:40. 

7. “In three days.” Mark 15:29. 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


121 


8. Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while He was yet 
alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that 
the sepulcher be made sure until the third day.” Matt. 27:63, 64. 

There is another term, “the third day,” referring to the same 
period, which occurs as follows: 

9. “From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples, 
how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of 
the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised 
again the third day.” Matt. 16:21. 

10. “The third day.” Matt. 20:18, 19. 

11. “The third day.” Mark 9:31. 

12. “The third day.” Luke 18:32, 33. 

13. “But we trusted that it had been He which should have re¬ 
deemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these 
things were done!’ Luke 24:21. 

14. “The third day.” Luke 24:46; Matt. 17:22, 23; Mark 10:34; 
Luke 9:22; 24:7; Acts 10:40; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4. 

We have numbered the above scriptures and citations so as to 
make them more easy of reference. In No. 1 Jesus refers to the 
experience of Jonah, and applies it to an experience which would 
come to Himself. The only expression which would confine it to 
the grave is “heart of the earth,” and this we will consider later. 
No. 2 uses the expression "in three days,” and that is also used by 
the enemies of Christ in Nos. 4,6, and 7, and its stronger equivalent, 
“within,” in No. 5. The chief priests and Pharisees, referring to the 
same thing (No. 8), use "after three days,” and then ask that the 
sepulcher be made sure "until the third day.” 

Jesus uses in No. 3, the expression “after three days;” but in 
Nos. 10,11, 12,14, He uses “the third day,” showing the latitude of 
the various terms used. This is still more strongly manifest by No. 
13, where the disciples declare at the very close of the first day of 
the week, “Today is the third day since these things were done.” 
So also No. 9, and the prophecy in Hosea 6:1, 2. 

From a fair comparison of all these passages we must conclude 


122 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

that “in three days,” “after three days,” “within three days,” “three 
days,” and until “the third day,” simply mean three days in com¬ 
mon parlance, including only a part of the last day, and by a parity 
of reasoning, not necessarily the whole of the first day. 

3. When Do the Days Begin? 

While technically the beginning would seem to apply to the 
death of Christ, in the fullest sense they would cover His betrayal 
into the hands of His enemies, when His death was determined. 
For as truly as at the crucifixion, the death agony for the world 
began at His betrayal, and was more manifest in the Garden of 
Gethsemane than on the cross. It was by physical wounds that His 
blood was shed on Calvary; it was by awful death agony for the 
sins of the world that it was forced from Him in Gethsemane, 
where “He poured out His soul unto death.” It was at the very 
time when Judas was bargaining with the chief priests that Jesus 
said: “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the 
earth and die, it abideth by itself alone.” John 12:23, 24. And 
again: “Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, 
save Me from this hour: but for this cause came 1 unto this hour. 
Father, glorify Thy name. . . . Now is the judgment [crisis] of 
this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” Verses 
27-31. A few hours before this the broken bread and the blood of 
the grape manifested the death foreordained of God and purposed 
of man. A little later His agonized heart forced from His lips, “My 
soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.” Mark 14:34. The 
death agony was already on. A little later still come the band to 
take Him. To them He says, “When I was daily with you in the 
temple, ye stretched not forth your hands against Me: but this is 
your hour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53. 

Right here, at this crisis, began the three days and nights when 
Christ was delivered to death in the hands of His enemies, into 
the power of the heart of the earth, into the hands of “the world 
rulers of this darkness.” Eph. 6:12. When He reached that hour, 
His time had come. No hand, human or divine, earthly or heav- 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


123 


enly, could interpose for His rescue. He had yielded all. All that 
followed was development in the process of putting to death. “The 
heart of the earth” would refer to the powers of earth, the center 
of which was Roman rule, led by “the prince of this world,” Satan. 
But the third day from the time of His yielding to the powers of 
earth He was living above all the powers of darkness. 

4. On What Day Did Christ Rise? 

We have (i) the record of the visits to the sepulcher; and (2) 
positive statement. Here are the passages which speak of the visits: 

1. “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the 
first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary 
to see the sepulcher.” Matt. 28:1. 

2. “And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and 
Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, 
that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the 
morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher 
at the rising of the sun.” Mark 16:1, 2. 

3. “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, 
He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast 
seven devils.” Mark 16:9. 

4. “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morn¬ 
ing, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they 
had prepared, and certain others with them.” Luke 24:1. 

5. “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, 
when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken 
away from the sepulcher.” John 20:1. 

Only one of these passages speaks of the rising of our Lord. 
Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, all refer to the visit of the women in the early morn¬ 
ing of the first day. The context of each passage shows clearly that 
all save the last refer to the same visit. The particulars in Matthew 
28 make it evident that the meeting there recorded was on the early 
morning of that first day, identical with the other meetings. The 
Greek phrase opse de Sabbaton, rendered “in the end of the Sab¬ 
bath,” ought, as Bloomfield and others remark, to be explained as 
“after the Sabbath.” The context demands it. There is, however, 


124 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

another explanation. The original Greek was written without 
division into chapters or verses or sentences. Does not opse de Sab- 
baton (“late on the Sabbath”) belong to the previous clause, at the 
end of chapter 27? It would then read: “And they [priests, etc.], 
having gone [from Pilate], made the sepulcher secure, with the 
guard sealing the stone late on the Sabbath. As it began to dawn 
toward the first day of the week, came Mary to see the sepulcher.” 
This is in perfect harmony with both Mark and Luke. Greenfield 
in his Greek Testament gives this as an alternative reading. 

But Mark 16 :g clearly fixes the resurrection of Christ to the first 
day of the week. The Interlinear Translation by Hinds and Noble 
renders the text, “Now having risen early the first day of the week, 
He appeared first to Mary the Magdalene.” Rotherham’s emphatic 
translation reads, “Arising early on the first of the week, He was 
manifested first to Mary the Magdalene;” the Peshito Syriac by 
Murdock, “And in the morning of the first day of the week, He 
arose.” See other translations. Surely this ought to be conclusive. 
“The three days” would begin Thursday night and close Sunday 
morning, including all of Friday, all of Sabbath, and part of Sun¬ 
day. 

5. Is There Any Significance to the Resurrection Day? 

None whatever. No day has been divinely designated to com¬ 
memorate the resurrection. When God has set apart other days, 
He has been explicit concerning them. The Passover, the Day of 
Atonement, and other yearly days of the Jews were enjoined so 
clearly that there could be no mistake about them. So it was with 
the seventh-day Sabbath. If the Lord had designed that His resur¬ 
rection should furnish us another worship day, He certainly would 
have made it plain. That His word is utterly silent is sufficient 
for the child of God. 

On the other hand, He has given us the Sabbath. He has com¬ 
manded it in unmistakable language. It has been confirmed by the 
teaching and example of our Lord Jesus Christ. What more does 
the Christian need? “Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I 
command you!’ 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


125 


The Rest That Remains. Hebrews 4. 

Please explain the fourth chapter of Hebrews. Ap¬ 
parently there was a movement afoot at that time to 
change the Sabbath day. 

The Sabbath day is not the question of Hebrews 4. Read 
chapter 3. The Lord desires to bring His people home to Him 
to that promised eternal rest. He emphasizes again and again, 
in both the third and the fourth chapter, the thought that the 
Hebrews of old did not enter into that rest. The eighth verse of 
chapter 4 reads, “For if Jesus [really, “Joshua” (see the American 
Revised Version); “Jesus” in Greek is the same as “Joshua” in 
Hebrew (see also the margin of the King James Version)] had 
given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of 
another day,”—that is, not another week day, nor another day 
of twenty-four hours, but another time when God would give 
His people rest. 

The only reason why the Sabbath is brought in at all is to 
show that God’s plan concerning the rest of His people is from 
the beginning of this world; for He says, “He that is entered into 
his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from 
His.” Verse 10. And verse 4 says: “For He spake in a certain place 
of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day 
from all His works.” That is, that finished earth, as it came 
from the hand of God, was designed to be the rest home of man 
for all eternity; but unbelief came in, and man sinned, and con¬ 
sequently there was no rest; for there is no peace and rest to the 
wicked. 

But He promised them rest when they came from Egypt. If 
they had believed, they would have entered into it; but Joshua 
did not give them rest then. The entering into that rest, therefore, 
is yet future; it remains. Then again under Solomon and David, 
God would have given His people rest; but unbelief thwarted it. 

Now the Lord puts it upon each soul individually through 
faith. “Today”—every day—God calls to enter that rest; and 
when man will give up his own strivings and smugglings and 


9 


126 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

his own work and his own sins, and yield himself wholly to the 
righteousness of God, he will enter into the beginning of that rest. 
He will find rest in Christ Jesus from all his sins and strife of soul; 
and that rest will be completed when man enters the earth made 
new at the second coming of Christ. 

The only reason why the Sabbath day is mentioned there at 
all is that it is a pledge of God’s eternal rest when His plan is 
completed in redemption. “There remaineth therefore a rest [“a 
Sabbath rest,” A. R. V.] to the people of God,” such a Sabbath as 
the Lord had when the earth was made, which includes rest 
from sin. See Isa. 66:22, 23. 

The Sabbath and the Gentiles. 

Are Gentiles under obligation to keep the Sabbath? 

Was it not given to Israel alone? 

As this is a frequently raised question, a few points may be 
worthy of consideration. 

The Sabbath is a memorial of creation. This is demonstrated 
by such texts as Genesis 2:2, 3; Exodus 20:8-11. That creation 
affects all who dwell upon the earth, and all are amenable to the 
One who created them. The Sabbath was therefore for mankind, 
the whole race; for “the Sabbath was made for man” (Mark 2:27), 
and the “God that made the world and all things therein” also 
“made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face 
of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and 
the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:24,26). Among the times 
before appointed is that of the Sabbath, which originated at crea¬ 
tion, and was sanctified as God’s memorial; and this memorial 
is “throughout all generations.” Ps. 135:13. 

That the Sabbath is for all men is shown by the records of 
peoples who, before apostatizing, acknowledged its binding obliga¬ 
tion, and kept it, as shown by ancient records, and by the names 
they have retained for the days of the week. 

That God gave the Sabbath to Israel was true. But He did not 
give it to them as a people to themselves; He gave it to them as 


Sabbath and Sunday 


127 


He gave all other truth, that they might give it to others. To 
Israel pertained “the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, 
and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the prom¬ 
ises.” Rom. 9:4. The Gentile world worshiped idols, forbidden 
by the first two commands of the Decalogue. Shall we therefore 
reject the law, saying it was for Israel? So with other precepts of 
that same holy law. God ever calls the seventh-day Sabbath His 
day, “the Sabbath of the Lord thy God,” but never “the Jewish 
Sabbath.” The latter is man’s name. Which shall we choose ? On 
the other hand, God repeatedly calls Himself the God of Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel. Shall we therefore reject Him? 

But the new covenant is to Israel; all the promises are to Israel; 
the inheritance is to Israel; the holy and eternal city of the everlast¬ 
ing kingdom is the city of Israel, for after Israel are her gates 
named (Rev. 21:12); and Jesus declares that “salvation is of the 
Jews” (John 4:22). The Bible was given through Jews; and the 
Saviour was a Jew, and “unto Him shall the gathering of the 
people be.” Gen. 49:10. Shall we therefore reject all these precious 
riches and blessings? 

The fact of the case is that these Jews were the depositaries of 
God’s truth because God saw that they could best preserve it 
till Christ came. They rejected it, and God cast them off; but 
their rejection did not affect God’s truth. He simply placed the 
flaming torch and the sacred treasure in other hands, devoted to 
His service, to bear the light and the blessing to the world. But 
those who bear them are the Israel of God. There are no covenant 
blessings or promises to the Gentiles except as they become Israelites 
—prevailers with God—by faith. But all may become such, Jew 
or Greek, male or female, black or white. God is no respecter of 
persons. 

But faith, the faith of Jesus Christ, the faith of Israel, the faith 
which works by love, the love that keeps the commands of God,— 
the same faith and love are required of all; and all who have it 
are Israelites indeed, true Jews, of “the commonwealth of Israel,” 
and of “the household of God.” See Eph. 2:11-19. And God is 
one; His law is one; His Son is one; His salvation, His Sabbath, 


128 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

His mighty redeeming love and eternal inheritance, each and all 
are one and the same to all who will accept them. He who will 
not accept them, may remain a Gentile, “having no hope, and 
without God in the world;” for there is no other hope, no other 
God. But he who will, may embrace Christ, become a covenant 
heir of God, and a lover of God’s Sabbath, an inheritor of His 
promises. See Isa. 56:2-8. 

"From One Sabbath to Another.” Isa. 66:23. 

This text says, “From one Sabbath to another, shall 
all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.” But 
others tell us, from Revelation 21:23 and 22:5, that there 
is no night there; and therefore Isaiah has no reference to 
the Sabbath, but one eternal rest. Please explain. 

First of all, Isaiah 66:23 could not have reference to one great 
eternal rest, because to speak of “from one eternal rest to another” 
would be absurd, for an eternal rest does not leave time for any 
successive eternal rests. Then, too, that the Sabbath is indicated, 
is also shown by the connection, “from one new moon,” which 
would also stand for one month—from one month to another, 
and from one Sabbath to another; or from month to month and 
week to week; and the great day of the week then as now will 
be the Sabbath. 

What is meant in Revelation 21:23 and 22:5 not that there 
will not be a succession of day and night, or that day will not 
follow day. The implied contrast is with cities of this world. 
Cities of this world have walls and gates, or they did in those days; 
and those gates were shut by night, to keep out robbers and 
marauders and hostile armies who would come in under cover of 
the darkness of night. That will not be the case in the New Jerusa¬ 
lem. God’s glory will be so great in that city that there will be no 
night there, no darkness under which robbers can hide or the 
lawless devise or plan destruction. It will be all light. Nothing 
more than this is implied. 

It is also spoken regarding the city itself, and not regarding 
the new earth. When God’s children come up from all parts of 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


129 


the earth, where there is a difference between day and night, as 
indicated by Isaiah 30:26, the Sabbath will be observed there just 
as truly as it can be here, only with perfect holiness to the Lord. 
The light of the moon will fall upon that earth, but it will be like 
the light of the sun now; and the light of the sun in the new earth 
will be sevenfold what it is now. Yet when God’s people come 
into His very presence, His glory will be so great that “the moon 
shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts 
will reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before His elders 
shall be glory.” Isa. 24:23. It is possible, with flood lighting, to 
make the night as bright as day. But it does not take away the 
night, nor change the succession of days; nor will God’s ineffable 
glory, far surpassing anything artificial, or even in the natural 
world, take away from the earth its succession of days or months, 
or its Sabbath. 

Old and New Style Calendar. 

What effect did the change from Old Style to New Style 
have upon the day of the Sabbath? 

The change of the calendar from Old Style to New Style was 
made by Pope Gregory in 1582. The computation of Julius Caesar 
was a bit too lengthy, and consequently by the sixteenth century 
the calendar was ahead of the solar year. Ten days were dropped 
from the calendar made by Julius Caesar, the one then in vogue in 
European countries, to bring the calendar year into harmony with 
the solar year. By this change, October 5, 1582, was called October 
15, 1582. This corrected the mistake in the calendar of Caesar. 
England did not make the change until 1752, when September 3 
of that year was called September 14. But these changes did not 
affect the days of the wee\. This is shown by the fact that there 
was no difference between the reckoning of the days of the week in 
Great Britain and the rest of Europe between 1582 and 1752, 
although the former reckoned according to the Old Style, and 
the latter by New Style. None of the changes in years or days of 
the month of the past have affected the days of the week. 


130 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

A Question of Days. 

1. “One man esteemeth one day above another: another 
esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully per¬ 
suaded in his own mind.” Rom. 14:5. 

2. “Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. 

I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor 
in vain.” Gal. 4:10, n. 

3. “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in 
drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, 
or of the sabbath days.” Col. 2:16. 

May we not very reasonably conclude, from the reading 
of the following texts, and from their connections, that 
the observance of the Sabbath is of very little importance, 
if not wholly unnecessary to salvation? 

1. Romans 14 is not a discussion of a question of days, but a 
question of judging, or condemning, a brother. “To his own mas¬ 
ter he standeth or falleth;” and, despite the judgment of mortals, 
God is able to hold him up. Even though the text did refer to the 
Sabbath, it would prove nothing concerning its obligation; it would 
simply prove that the observer or the nonobserver was answerable 
to God alone. But at the bar of God, all who have known God’s 
law will be judged by the law. Rom. 2:12; James 2:8-12. But the 
text and the context seem to make reference to matters which of 
themselves made no difference, ceremonial days of the law, for 
example. 

If it should be said that the term “every day” of the text must 
include the Sabbath, it is sufficient to show that it does not in Exo¬ 
dus 16:4. Compare with verse 27. The “every day” meant every 
day of the common days given to man, of “the six working days.” 
Ezek. 46:1. The Sabbath command is a part of God’s law, of 
which no jot or tittle shall pass away. See Isa. 51:6, 7; Matt. 5: 
17-19. The eternal Spirit of God did not contradict through Paul 
what it said through Isaiah and Jesus. 

2. The days and times of Galatians 4:10, 11 are heathen days 
and times. Read the text and the context : 

“Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them 
which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


131 


God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak 
and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bond¬ 
age? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am 
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.” Verses 
8-11. 

Before they knew God, before the gospel came to them, whom 
did they worship or serve? Answer : “Ye did service unto them 
which by nature are no gods.” They were therefore heathen. Com¬ 
pare with i Cor. 12:2; 1 Thess. 1:9. See also Acts 14:6-18. Lycao- 
nia was a part of Galatia. In their backsliding, what did the Gala¬ 
tians do? Answer: “How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly 
elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” What 
were among the heathen observances? Answer: “Neither shall ye 
use enchantment, nor observe times.” Lev. 19:26. “He reared up 
altars for Baal [the sun god]. . . . He made his son pass through 
the fire, and observed times.” 2 Kings 21:3-6. See Ezek. 8:15, 16. 

The oldest and most widespread heathen worship was sun wor¬ 
ship, and the oldest heathen day is Sunday, dedicated to the wor¬ 
ship of the sun. Besides this, there were monthly and yearly and 
other heathen feasts and festivals and holydays. The Saturnalia, 
from which came Christmas; the feast of Eostre, from which 
came Easter; and the Sunday, are good illustrations of the per¬ 
petuity of heathen customs. When, therefore, the Galatians went 
back to their heathen gods, they doubtless returned to their old 
feasts and festivals. No wonder that the apostle questioned their 
conversion. 

3. The context of Colossians 2:16 clearly shows that the meats 
and drinks and fast days and sabbath days to which the apostle had 
reference were those which were “a shadow of things to come; but 
the body is of Christ.” Verse 17. These yearly days, some seven in 
number, are mentioned in Leviticus 23, “beside the Sabbaths of 
the Lord.” Verse 38. All the ceremonial sabbaths pointed forward 
to Christ; but the eternal Sabbath of the Lord was a constant me¬ 
morial and sign of Christ’s power to create, uphold, and sanctify. 
Ex. 20:8-11; Ezek. 20:20, 12. God’s moral law is unchangeable 
and eternal, and His weekly Sabbath is a part of that law. 


132 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Do not forget the very first expression in the scripture under 
question, which is the core of the whole matter: “Let no man there¬ 
fore judge you.” Why? Because, as the previous verses show, 
we have acknowledged Jesus Christ the Lord, been buried with 
Him in baptism, and arisen to a new life in Him. The mere cere¬ 
monies of the past are nothing in Him. The sins that were re¬ 
corded against us have been all blotted out; and those past ordi¬ 
nances, which call to remembrance our sins year by year, from time 
to time, are gone. 

Sunday Laws and Prohibition. 

Please give the reasons why a law prohibiting the manu¬ 
facture and sale of intoxicants is right, and one forbid¬ 
ding Sunday labor is wrong. Are not both class legis¬ 
lation ? 

The design of the prohibition of the manufacture and sale of 
intoxicants has nought to do with class. It does not prevent anyone 
from drinking, if he has liquor. It does prohibit the manufacture 
and sale for public purposes. One of the chief reasons for doing 
this, from a political standpoint, is the enormous drain that the 
liquor business is upon the community. If those who manufacture 
and sell liquor met all the expense and tragedy of the liquor traffic, 
that would be one thing. But they do not. They impose upon the 
community a fearful burden, which the community itself must 
bear, in the drunkards and paupers they make, in the widows and 
orphans or worse than widows and orphans, in the crime and cor¬ 
ruption that is fostered, in a hundred different ways, breaking 
down all barriers of law, of society, and loading continually heavy 
burdens upon the community. The saloons make necessary the 
great number of police in our cities and towns; they furnish a great 
deal of the material for the courts. The mere suggestion of these 
will bring to the minds of our readers very much more than we 
have mentioned as the result of the liquor traffic. It has to do 
wholly and solely with the economic problem of our cities and 
towns. In a long series of years, a country could better afford to 
pay pension to the men engaged in the liquor traffic, until they 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


133 


died, than to allow the traffic to go on; and this from a purely eco¬ 
nomic standpoint. 

A Sunday law is altogether different. It is class legislation; it 
is more, it touches the rights of mankind. It touches the very 
highest class of those rights, the right to worship God according to 
the dictates of one’s own conscience, and the right to earn a living 
for one’s family, working in what way and how long one will. It 
does not strike directly at evils, economic or otherwise. The fact 
certainly has been demonstrated that the Sunday is as well kept in 
communities where there is no Sunday law as in communities 
where there is one. Neighbors get along just as peaceably; there 
is just as much quiet; there is far more agreement, less trouble and 
prejudice in every way, than where Sunday laws exist. The most 
serious effects of Sunday laws fall, many times, upon those who 
are the most conscientious and faithful. 

In nearly all cases of prohibition of the liquor traffic, time is 
given for the saloon man to adjust his business. Adjusting his 
business, he has no trouble from the law. He could not say that 
conscientiously he must follow that business. No saloonkeeper in 
the world would ever make such a claim at that. Any other busi¬ 
ness equally profitable, or less, would be preferable; for few saloon¬ 
keepers would actually prefer a business like that, were they not 
trained to that one thing. But this is not the case at all with the 
Sunday law. It has to do with conscience and one’s relation¬ 
ship to God. 

Jesus and the Sabbath Commandment. 

Why did Jesus not mention the Sabbath command¬ 
ment when He enumerated the others? 

In the first place, our Lord nowhere enumerates the Ten Com¬ 
mandments. He gave some of them, as in the nineteenth chapter 
of Matthew. He quotes those to show to the young man that he 
was not really keeping the commandments after all. The young 
man had declared, “All these have I kept from my youth up;” but 
Jesus showed, by the principle upon which the commandments 


134 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

quoted were based, and the application of that principle, that the 
young man really had not kept the commandments at all. He had 
outwardly observed them. His life was blameless, probably, so 
far as a negative example was concerned; yet he was wealthy, and 
the poor were all around him, and he had not given to their needs. 
But in that enumeration of commandments, we do not have any 
one of the first four precepts of the Decalogue, and we nowhere in 
the teachings of Christ have any reference to the second com¬ 
mandment of the Decalogue. Extrajudicial oaths are forbidden, 
but the third commandment is not quoted. 

Why should we demand that our Lord should restate the Ten 
Commandments ? He expressly tells us, “Think not that I am come 
to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but 
to fulfill.” Matt. 5:17. There would be no change in God’s gov¬ 
ernment. God’s moral law is perfect, and Christ came to restore 
men to allegiance to God. That was His sole purpose. He declares, 
“I and My Father are one.” Again, “I came . . . not to do Mine 
own will, but the will of Him that sent Me.” God’s will is expressed 
in His law (Ps. 40:7, 8); and Jesus declares that those who say, 
“Lord, Lord,” and do not the will of God, will have no part in God’s 
kingdom. To them the Lord will say: “Depart from Me, ye that 
work iniquity.” “I never knew you.” “Iniquity” is lawlessness, do¬ 
ing things contrary to God’s law. All the teaching of our Lord, in 
precept and example, in His sacrifice upon the cross, taught the 
immutability, the inviolability, the absolute necessity, and eternal 
perpetuity, of the law of God in every jot and tittle; for He declares, 
“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law 
to fail.” 

The change from the old dispensation to the new dispensation, 
as they are sometimes called, was not the change in God’s purpose 
or the change in God’s plan. It was simply a greater development 
of that plan. The old object-lesson offerings, which pointed for¬ 
ward to Christ, ceased because the shadow reached the substance; 
but the government of God underwent no change. Faith was de¬ 
manded before Christ came, faith in the Sacrifice and Redeemer 
to come; faith was demanded when He came, faith in the Sacrifice 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


135 


who was there with them. Obedience was demanded before He 
came, the obedience of faith to all God’s commandments; obedi¬ 
ence was demanded after He came, the obedience of faith, the 
following in His footsteps. 

There was no more change in the constitution or fundamental 
laws of God’s government when Christ came than there is when 
one administration is succeeded by another in the United States 
Government. The administration is different, but this has no effect 
whatever upon the Constitution. Every word and act of Christ’s 
life confirms the Sabbath commandment with the others. 

The Breaking of Bread. 

Some persons infer that the breaking of bread men¬ 
tioned in Luke 24:35; Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7; 27:35, and 
other scriptures, refers to the holding of the Lord’s Supper. 

Does this phrase not generally refer to a common custom 
at a meal ? 

You are quite right in your conclusions regarding these texts. 
The principal object in trying to make it appear that such texts 
refer to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is that some excuse 
may be had for sacredly observing Sunday. For instance, Acts 
20:7 says, “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came 
together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart 
on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” The 
claim is made that this breaking of bread was the Lord’s Supper, 
and that they had come together on the first day of the week to 
celebrate that ordinance, and furthermore, that they would not 
have been celebrating that ordinance on the first day of the week 
if they had not regarded that day as a sacred day. 

This may sound very plausible, but the text is wanting in several 
important particulars. In the first place, observe that the text does 
not say that they had come together on the first day of the week 
because they regarded it is a sacred day. If the breaking of bread 
would make a day sacred, then, according to Acts 2:46, referred 
to in your question, they would have observed every day as sacred, 
because that text says, “They, continuing daily with one accord 


136 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat 
their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” They con¬ 
tinued “daily” in breaking bread. But even if this were the Lord’s 
Supper which they celebrated, that would not necessarily indicate 
that it was upon a sacred day. The Lord’s Supper was not instituted 
on either Saturday or Sunday. It could be observed on any day; 
and it might have been celebrated at the time indicated in Acts 20, 
because of Paul’s departure the next day—the Christians at Troas 
may have wanted to celebrate it with him before he left them. But 
even though this meeting was held in part at least on the first day 
of the week, there is strong evidence that the breaking of bread did 
not occur until Monday morning. 

The Sunday institution rests upon such a weak foundation that 
it has to resort to all kinds of devices to give it any semblance of 
support. The Sabbath of Jehovah has a very explicit command en¬ 
joining its observance. The Sunday institution rests only upon in¬ 
ference. And when people begin to build doctrines upon infer¬ 
ences, there is no end to the absurdities that may be promulgated. 

The Right to Keep Sunday. 

Have I not a right to keep Sunday, according to Romans 
14:5, 6? Am I not justified in keeping Sunday if I keep 
it to the Lord, being fully persuaded in my own mind? 

We quote all of the text that pertains to days, from the Ameri¬ 
can Revised Version: “One man esteemeth one day above another: 
another esteemeth every day alike. Let each man be fully assured 
in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the 
Lord.” 

Let it be noted: (1) That this chapter—and the whole epistle, 
for that matter—is addressed to Christians to whom the apostle 
had emphatically taught the perpetuity and immutability of the 
law of which the Sabbath precept is a part. The Jews held the true 
“form of knowledge and of the truth” in that law, and in this they 
knew God’s will (see chapter 2:17-23); by that law, men will be 
judged (2:12); by that law is the knowledge of sin, and all man- 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


137 


kind stand condemned by it (3:19, 20; 4:15; 7:7); that law wit¬ 
nesses to the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (3:21, 22); faith 
establishes that law in the heart (3:31); grace saves from its trans¬ 
gression (6:1, 2, 15, 16); the demands of the law are met by those 
in Christ (8:4); and only the carnal heart is at enmity with its 
righteous requirements (8:7). Therefore the ones who heeded this 
epistle were Sabbathkeepers. 

Chapter 14 cannot therefore refer to the Sabbath day, but to the 
immaterial days, such as the Passover and the Day of Atonement. 
The expression “every day” refers to the six working days of the 
week, as in Exodus 16:4, and does not include the Sabbath. 

Romans 14 has for its specific purpose instructions to Christians 
that they should not judge one another; that all judgment rests 
with God, to whom each and all must give account. Verses 10-12. 

So far as our responsibility to man is concerned, one has the 
right to keep any day or no day. One is not, cannot be, justified 
before God in the observance of a day contrary to God’s law. God 
cannot justify transgression of His law. He will justify the igno¬ 
rant and perfect heart despite the transgression, but not because of it. 

It would seem that no day would be acceptable “to the Lord” 
that He Himself had not given. And no one could keep any day 
acceptable to God who was not fully persuaded in his own mind. 
There is no coercion in God’s service; there must be the willing 
heart. The thought of the apostle seems to be that in immaterial 
things, there should be liberty. A transgression of God’s law would 
take one out of God’s church entirely. Let us not use equivocal 
expressions to evade the plainest, clearest duty, emphasized by the 
example of our blessed Lord. 

Temperance and the Sabbath. 

Is not the temperance question as important to discuss 
as the Sabbath question? 

The temperance question is always important; so also is the 
Sabbath question; but a man may be truly a temperance man and 
not be a Sabbathkeeper or a Christian. No man can truly be a 


138 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Sabbathkeeper without being a temperance man. The latter reform 
always goes with the former. Why? Because the Sabbath is a 
memorial of God’s creative power and loving Fatherhood. Had 
man always observed the Sabbath, he never would have been an 
idolater; nor would he ever have yielded himself to the abominable 
lusts that have carried away so many millions of the race. The 
Sabbath commandment is, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 
it holy.” That implies the remembrance of it outside of the Sab¬ 
bath day itself. Every day of the week was numbered with respect 
to the Sabbath. It was “One Day to the Sabbath,” “Second Day 
to the Sabbath,” “Third Day to the Sabbath,” and so on, until the 
Sabbath itself came. Remembering that commandment in the let¬ 
ter and spirit of it, man could never forget God, or his obligation to 
God. Having yielded himself to God, he could never give himself 
up to the sins of gluttony or drunkenness. Every power of his being 
would be laid upon the altar of God. He could no more prostitute 
his mental and spiritual powers to the lust of appetite than he could 
yield himself to bow to the altars of Baal. Consequently wherever 
true Sabbath reform has obtained through the ages, there is con¬ 
nected with it true temperance. 

Furthermore, it is God’s time now for a Sabbath reform. Thus 
has every age ended. The patriarchal age ended with Sabbath re¬ 
form, and connected with that was the true temperance question. 
As God led Israel out of Egypt, that temperance reform took hold 
of not simply wine and strong drink, but upon diet as well. There 
was true Sabbath reform in the closing of the Jewish age, when 
our Lord Jesus Christ showed what the Sabbath meant and should 
mean; and there was also true dietetic and temperance reform, 
during which time was given that wonderfully comprehensive rule, 
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to 
the glory of God.” 

We are nearing the close of the Christian age. Our Lord is 
about to come. One of the mighty reforms which will sweep this 
earth, antagonizing all mere legal reforms which seek to embody 
in dead statute law the living principles of the gospel, is reform 
upon the Sabbath, the closing of the breach that has been made in 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


139 


God’s law; and inseparably connected with that is true temperance 
reform, a reform message which takes in the whole man, spirit 
and soul and body. 

The Sabbath question is not the mere question of the day of 
twenty-four hours. There is connected with it the very question 
of divine authority and full allegiance to God in worship, and all 
that is highest and best in the life of the Christian. 

The Great Round World. 

i. In circumnavigating the globe one way, a day is 
lost, and the other way a day is gained; what is the cause 
of this ? 2. What is the custom on board ship with the day 
lost or gained, when circumnavigating the globe? 3. Has 
the day lost or gained any effect on the days of the week, 
or on the date only, like the changing from the Old Style 
to the New Style of reckoning time ? 

1. Apparently the sun revolves around the earth from east to 
west once in twenty-four hours. It passes over fifteen degrees of 
the 360 into which the earth is divided, in one hour of time. If one 
travels around the world with the sun, he apparently gains time in 
proportion to the space passed over. For instance, if he travels over 
fifteen degrees of space, in round numbers a thousand miles, dur¬ 
ing twenty-four hours, he apparently gains one hour of time. In 
other words, he has lengthened his day one hour by keeping one 
hour longer with the sun. If he should keep that up for twenty-four 
days, he would have extended each day an hour. Though losing 
nothing in actual time, he would be a day ahead of where he was 
when he started, as the days are named in the week. If he were 
traveling eastward at the same rate, he would lose an hour, or be 
with the sun an hour less each day; and in twenty-four days would 
lose twenty-four hours, or a whole day. In the first case he would 
drop one day, in the second he would add or repeat a day. 

2. A traveler on board ship and otherwise in journeying west¬ 
ward, if he came to the usual place of the change on Tuesday, 
would call the next day Thursday. In traveling eastward, if he 
came to the place of change on Tuesday, he would call the next 


140 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

day Tuesday. Or he could add or drop a part of each of two days. 
Custom has fixed this place of change in the Pacific Ocean. From 
the east coast of Asia westward to the west coast of America the 
traveler east or west finds himself in harmony with all the people 
in the count of the days of the week. But crossing the Pacific Ocean 
westward, ships drop a day; in crossing eastward, they add a day. 

3. Both the day of the week and the date are affected thereby. 
If the traveler should obstinately stick to his own time, it would 
put him out with all the rest of the world. But if he keeps himself 
in harmony with providential and everyday facts, he has no trou¬ 
ble whatever about losing or gaining days, or observing any day he 
wishes. 

Doing Simple Duty. Eccl. 12:13. 

Is there any evidence that the Lord does not sanctify 
and bless the first day of the week, now kept by Christians, 
to their edification, rest, and utmost satisfaction? 

The Lord does not expressly tell us that He does not sanctify 
and bless the first day; neither does He tell us that He does so bless 
and sanctify it. He does not ask men to do what He has not com¬ 
manded, nor to surmise that He has done what He has given us 
no record that He has done. He says: “If ye love Me, keep My 
commandments.” “Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I com¬ 
mand you.” “Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is 
the whole duty of man.” To disregard these plain injunctions of 
God’s word—the plain commands which He has given us con¬ 
cerning His holy day—and to set up in our own minds an insti¬ 
tution which God never has given, is to do as did Saul. He thought 
that rendering sacrifice, doing something which pleased him, was 
more pleasing to God than it was to obey explicitly just what God 
had told him; but the words of the prophet to him were, “Behold, 
to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 
1 Sam. 15:22. To substitute something of our own for something 
which God has given, is to put no difference between the clean and 
the unclean, the holy and the profane. And it is just that thing 
which God charges to false teachers of Israel. 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


141 


“Her priests have violated My law, and have profaned Mine 
holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and pro¬ 
fane, neither have they showed difference between the unclean and 
the clean, and have hid their eyes from My Sabbaths, and I am 
profaned among them.” Ezek. 22:26. See also Leviticus 10. 

God’s blessing rests upon His people every day; that is, upon 
those who walk in the light which shines upon their pathway, and 
who yield themselves to do His will so far as they understand it. 
One can obtain the blessing of the Lord in seeking Him on Thurs¬ 
day as well as seeking Him on Sunday. Education also has very 
much to do with these things. The devout Jew living in Babylon 
or Rome who had not heard of Christ’s death upon the cross, no 
doubt found real pleasure, blessing, and edification in offering up 
his sacrifice by faith, and yet the one great Sacrifice had superseded 
it. The Lord only holds us responsible for what He gives us. Jesus 
said of the Jews who crucified Him: “If I had not come and spoken 
unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for 
their sin. He that hateth Me hateth My Father also. If I had not 
done among them the works which none other man did, they had 
not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and 
My Father.” John 15:22-24. 

We are not condemned because we may be walking in error for 
which we are not responsible. We are condemned when we cling 
to error after God has revealed it to us as error. “And this is the 
condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved 
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” The 
man who observes Sunday with all his heart, believing it to be 
truth, will gladly accept the light of God when it comes, and 
thereby demonstrate that he was before that walking in all the light 
he saw. “He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds 
may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” But he 
who is actuated by selfish motives, turns from the light, condemns 
its searching rays, and still clings to his sins. See John 3:17-21. 

The matter of feeling in the condemnation or approval of a doc¬ 
trine is largely a matter of education and practice fostered by the 
wrong theology of the day. All God requires is faith, simple faith 


10 


142 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

in His holy word. He who has such faith as will lead him to turn 
from everything that is condemned by the holy word, and who 
gives himself wholly to God, will find a joy that the follower of 
no human tradition can ever have. It is the experience of thou¬ 
sands who have embraced the Sabbath of the Lord, with all that 
it means, even among those who have long enjoyed God’s blessing 
in first-day churches, that they have a sweetness of peace and a 
satisfaction of life which they never knew before. “Great peace 
have they which love Thy law: and they shall have no stumbling 
block.” Ps. 119:165, margin. Our correspondent truly says in a 
postscript, “I am assured that no faithful Christian will have any 
choice of his own as to which day he keeps, but will accept none but 
God’s choice, when he knows it.” But how can we know it except 
by God’s word ? 

Change of the Sabbath. 

Where do you find that Constantine changed the 
Sabbath? 

We do not find that he changed it, nor have we said that he 
changed it. We do not believe that he did change it. What we 
have said is this: that the first Sunday law on record is one made 
by Constantine in 321 a. d. That Sunday law reads as follows: 

“Let all the judges and town people, and the occupation of all 
trades, rest on the venerable day of the sun; but let those who are 
situated in the country, freely and at full liberty attend to the 
business of agriculture; because it often happens that no other day 
is so fit for sowing corn and planting vines; lest the critical mo¬ 
ment being let slip, men should lose the commodities granted by 
Heaven. Given the seventh day of March; Crispus and Constan¬ 
tine being consuls, each of them for the second time.” 

The original of the edict is in Harvard University Library. It 
is quoted in Kitto’s Cyclopaedia, note to article, “Sabbath,” page 
720, Adam and Charles Black, Edinburgh; in “Sunday,” by Arch¬ 
deacon Hessey, fifth edition, 1889, Cassel & Company; in “The 
Sabbath,” by Wilbur Crafts, note 276, page 555, sixth edition; 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


143 


Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, article, “Sunday Legislation,” volume 
4, page 2260; McClintock & Strong’s Biblical, Theological, and 
Ecclesiastical Cyclopaedia (Harper Brothers) refers to it (volume 
10, page 18), as does also “Neander’s Church History,” page 336, 
volume 2, eleventh American edition; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 
seventh edition, volume 6, page 301, article, “Constantine.” These 
are all modern works, but each is good authority for a fact of this 
kind. Of two works before us, on the Sabbath, one by Dr. Peter 
Heylyn (1636), quotes the same law, pages 66, 67, part 2; and one 
by Dr. Francis White (1635), pages 218, 219, refers to it. The 
simple fact is that there is no question as regards the law. All 
learned men on all sides of the Sabbath question admit the law, its 
authenticity, and its author. 

The change of the Sabbath was a gradual work. Little by little, 
men lost their regard for the holy day of the Lord, while Sunday 
was kept as a great feast day. In fact, in all the early ages of the 
church, Sunday was not considered a sacred day; a small portion 
of it was used for religious services, and the rest for labor or recrea¬ 
tion. As late as the fourth and fifth centuries, the two days were 
kept together as sister days, but more than a thousand years 
passed before Sunday was called the Sabbath. The Sabbath was 
crowded out largely in the fourth and fifth centuries. At last, as 
in the Council of Laodicea, 538 a. d., those who kept the seventh- 
day Sabbath were anathematized. 

Easter Sunday. Acts 12:4. 

When was Easter instituted, and by whom ? The claim, 
of course, is that now it is held in commemoration of the 
Saviour’s resurrection. 

It is almost impossible to tell just when any of these voluntary 
feasts and practices crept into the church. It was at a comparatively 
early age that the celebration of Easter began. There is no doubt 
that at an early date many Christians celebrated, in a way, Christ’s 
resurrection from the dead; but they never designed to set apart 
a day for that purpose. That is stated over and over again by 


144 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the early “fathers.” The yearly celebration of that day they con¬ 
nected with the Passover, and it was called the paschal feast. It is 
an utter mistranslation which places “Easter” in the text of Acts 
12:4. Instead of “Easter” it ought to be “the Passover,” as it is in 
the Revised Version. Therefore, the early Christians kept it at the 
time regulated by the Passover; but at an early day, the Roman 
Church endeavored to place the celebration of the resurrection on 
Sunday instead of on the day of the Passover. 

Victor, Bishop of Rome, about the close of the second century, 
attempted to lord it over his brethren of the East, Dowling tells us, 
by forcing them to follow the rule which was observed by the West¬ 
ern churches in the keeping of the paschal feast. He wrote them 
an imperious letter commanding them to observe the same days 
he did. But the Eastern churches answered the lordly summons 
by the Bishop of Ephesus, Polycrates, that they would by no means 
depart in this matter from the custom handed down to them by 
their ancestors; upon which Victor, exasperated, pronounced them 
unworthy of the name of his brethren, and excluded them all from 
fellowship with the Church of Rome. This Dowling denominates 
the earliest instance of Roman assumption, but it was not even at 
that time called Easter. 

The term “Easter” comes from the Anglo-Saxon Eostre, the 
name of the Saxon goddess, worshiped in spring, as exemplifying 
the fruitfulness and productiveness of nature, with offerings of 
flowers, eggs, and other symbolical characteristics. It was sun and 
nature worship. As with other heathen festivals, the rapidly apos¬ 
tatizing church thought it would be a good thing to connect the 
Passover celebration with the heathen feast of Easter; so it came 
into the church. There is no warrant of Scripture for it whatsoever. 
There is no sacredness in any way attached to the day; and those 
who observe it in memory of the resurrection of Christ can well 
bring home to their hearts the question which the Lord Himself 
asks, “Who hath required this at your hand?” 

But is it not well to celebrate the resurrection of Christ? some 
may ask. Surely it is; but the truest, grandest, most fitting memo¬ 
rial of Christ’s resurrection is the godly life of His followers. The 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


145 


resurrection of Christ demonstrated His power over sin; and if 
His followers wish to keep His resurrection before the world, it will 
be by living the Christ life, demonstrating the power of His people 
over sin. That is one constant, living representation of the resur¬ 
rection. 

"The Mark of the Beast.” Rev. 14:9-11. 

What is the mark of the beast? Is it Sundaykeeping? 

Do Seventh-day Adventists teach that it is? 

Seventh-day Adventists do not teach that Sundaykeeping is the 
mark of the beast. There are many thousands of God’s children 
who have observed Sunday, and are observing it. They have be¬ 
lieved and do believe that it is a holyday, and that they are glorify¬ 
ing God in its observance. 

In this they are in error. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God.” So the voice of God declared from heaven. So 
His finger wrote in the very heart of His holy law. The followers 
of God in all ages from Adam to our blessed Lord and His apos¬ 
tles observed it; and we are over and over assured in the Book of 
God that His holy law is unchangeable, even to the jots and tittles. 
Ps. hi :7, 8; Isa. 51:6, 7; Matt. 5:17-20. Thus God has given us law 
and example for the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath, and its 
deeper study will show that it is founded on the eternal principles 
of the character of God. 

Sunday is an interloper. It has neither divine command nor 
example. By no word of Inspiration is a sacred character for it 
predicated or assumed. It is one of the “six working days” and no 
more. Religiously, it is “the wild solar holiday of all pagan times,” 
dedicated to the worship of the sun, among the seasons and times 
forbidden of God. It came into the Christian church through that 
apostasy which should “magnify itself,” and “think to change the 
times and the law.” Dan. 8:11; 7:25; 11:36-39; 2 Thess. 2:3-7. The 
Roman Catholic Church declares Sundaykeeping in the church to 
be the mark of her power to command fasts and holydays. “That 
the [Roman Catholic] church hath power,” she declares, is proved 


146 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

“by the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday.”—“An 
Abridgment of the Christian Doctrine” Henry Tuberville. 

Protestants have no other authority for Sundaykeeping than 
that of pagan and papal tradition. Yet many have not understood, 
many do not understand, that they are in error; and God blesses 
them, not because of the error, but notwithstanding the error, for 
“the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro throughout the whole earth, 
to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect 
toward Him.” True service is a matter of love; knowledge is a 
matter of revelation and instruction. There are many who know 
little but love much, and God is leading them on to greater light 
and knowledge. It is also sadly true that there are many who know 
much but love little or not at all. For them God waits. Unless the 
heart and affections are yielded to Him to be changed by His Spirit, 
knowledge will avail nothing, and the light which is in them will 
become darkness. 

Now in God’s providence and plan His great threefold message 
of Revelation 14:6-14 is going to the world to call men from dark¬ 
ness to light; it is going to Babylon to call men from confusion of 
cruel dogma and tradition back to the word of God. Some in every 
nation, tribe, and people will hear, and heed, and do; will return 
to “the everlasting gospel,” and be found among those who “keep 
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12. 
Others will abide in Babylon, will in Babylon commit spiritual 
fornication by uniting with civil power to enforce the dogmas and 
traditions of error, among which will be Sundaykeeping. Around 
this all the union of Church-and-State forces is gathering. This 
union and consequent conditions between Church and State com¬ 
pose the beast and the image, till organized apostasy and Church- 
and-State tyranny are world-wide. The mark and test of allegiance 
to this power will be the legal Sunday, the great mark of apostasy, 
the change in God’s law; and he who in the light of God’s word 
turns from that light, from that law, from that gospel and its power, 
to the darkness of tradition and apostasy, to the power of the civil 
arm, receives in his very worship and yielded allegiance the char¬ 
acter of the power he serves, and he crowns that with the badge of 


SABBATH AND SUNDAY 


147 


beast authority, the mark of his servitude, by the observance of 
Sunday as enforced by the beast and his image, in contradistinction 
to the true service of God in the Sabbath of the fourth command¬ 
ment. 

This is in principle the mark of the beast. Just the particular 
form it may assume in the future development, we do not know. 
Just as what stage of character development men possess that mark 
and cut themselves off from God, it is not for mortals to say. Judg¬ 
ment rests with God, not man. It is for us to proclaim the solemn 
warning against false worship, the dread consequences of sin; to 
set forth the eternal principles of the true; to plead with men to 
come to Christ in the faith that changes character; to entreat that 
Spirit which writes God’s holy law upon the heart, and makes the 
doing of His every command a delight. But, praise God, the judg¬ 
ment of those who reject His truth rests not with us, but with Him. 


Section VII 


THE CEREMONIAL LAW 
"The Law 55 in Acts 15:24. 

What is meant by the expression “the law”? 

It is worthy of note, if our inquirer will look it up, to see that 
the expression, “Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law,” is 
omitted from the Revised Version and the better Greek texts. 
The law under discussion in the fifteenth chapter of Acts includes 
the Mosaic code (see verses i and 5), which God did not impose on 
the Gentiles. Every moral element in that law remained. But every 
moral element of the law is included in the Ten Commandment 
law. When Christ came, the ritual law expired by limitation. The 
prolific vine which had twined around the trunk of the moral law 
dropped off, but the tree stood,—the Ten Commandments re¬ 
mained,—impaired in no part of its life. There will be no trouble 
to our inquirer whatever, or to any other who earnestly desires to 
know the truth, if he will keep in mind that God’s government is 
one, eternal, unchangeable; necessarily so from His own perfect, 
holy, just, loving character. His law is as His government, and 
that law is summarized in the great Ten Words spoken from 
Mount Sinai. 

In order to win the transgressors back to that law, and teach 
them His character, and hold them to Himself, God devised the 
ceremonial law, by which His children could from the very be¬ 
ginning express their faith in Him. In the patriarchal age it was 
very simple. In the Mosaic age it was complex, but every act that 
was performed had its lesson respecting sin and salvation; and 
sin is, ever has been, and ever will be, the transgression of the moral 
law of Ten Commandments. Sometimes this ceremonial law has 
been so intertwined in its moral aspects with the moral law that 
to the casual observer they have seemed almost the same. It is like 
a strong-growing green vine on an oak. When the vine is cut, it 
falls and dies, but the oak stands just the same. The life of each 

148 


THE CEREMONIAL LAW 


149 


is different. So it is with the two laws. We have two ordinances 
in this dispensation, God’s simple regulations regarding baptism 
and the Lord’s Supper. The four things imposed on the Gentiles 
in Acts 15 were things of moral bearing, things which those Gen¬ 
tile converts did not consider were part of the moral law because 
their minds had been blinded by generations of practice. They 
were imposed by the apostles because they did have a moral basis. 

Sabbath for the Jews Only. Ex. 35:2, 3; 34:21. 

If the prohibition to build fires on Sabbath in Exodus 
35:2,3 is a civil or ceremonial regulation for the Jews while 
in Palestine only, why may not the prohibition in Exodus 
34:21 also be limited to them? Also Leviticus 23:32 and 
perhaps Leviticus 11:7, 8? 

The command concerning the Sabbath, and a local law respect¬ 
ing it, are two things of an entirely different character. The Sab¬ 
bath law originated in Eden, before man sinned. Gen. 2:2, 3. The 
Sabbath was therefore made for man, for the race. Mark 2:27. 
To show its eternal, enduring nature it is placed in the very heart 
of the Decalogue, bulwarked before and behind by nine other 
moral precepts concerning which there is no question, in order 
that man might know that there should be no question over the 
fourth commandment. Of that law it is easier for heaven and earth 
to pass than one tittle to fail. This is shown in an abundance of 
scriptures. Ex. 35:2, 3 was in its nature a local regulation referring 
to the wilderness period. The climate demanded no fire. The 
manna was prepared the day before the Sabbath. To build a fire 
was a direct and daring act of presumption against God. See Num. 
r5 : 30-36. 

Leviticus 23:32 specially applies to the Day of Atonement, a 
typical feast pertaining to the Levitical age; but it also states a gen¬ 
eral law as regards the beginning and ending of all days. This 
also is shown in many scriptures. The day began and ended at the 
setting of the sun. Mark 1:32. 

The law of unclean animals is not binding, but the great facts 
on which it is based should guide the well-instructed Christian. 


150 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

It was no arbitrary law which divided between beasts regardless 
of their nature. In the very nature of things the swine is unclean, 
and God told His people so. This distinction existed before the 
Flood. Genesis 7:8; 8:20. Knowing this, how should the Chris¬ 
tian apply 1 Corinthians 10:31? 

"Let No Man Judge You.” Col. 2:14-17. 

Will you please explain Colossians 2:14-17? The word 
here is sabbaton, genitive plural. It is also sabbaton in the 
Septuagint in Exodus 20:8-10. “Ordinances” is “dogma” 
(Greek, “law,” “decree,” etc.) The bond (see R. V.) 
was written in the dogma, or law. Verse 17 being nom¬ 
inative plural and neuter in Greek agrees with “holyday,” 

“new moon,” and “sabbath.” The order “holyday,” and 
“new moon,” and “sabbath” is exactly as the order is 
in the Old Testament in some places. When that order 
appears in the Old Testament, does “sabbath” mean the 
Decalogue Sabbath or not? Would these considerations 
involve the claim that Paul did not refer to the Decalogue 
Sabbath in Colossians 2:14-17? 

To answer the last question first, it would not in anywise affect 
the claim that Paul did not refer to the Decalogue Sabbath. The 
Decalogue Sabbath is not “a shadow of things to come.” It is a 
memorial of that which is past. It is the constant present evidence 
of God’s power to create and to re-create. 

The Greek word sabbaton is used for the singular in its plural 
form, partly for emphasis. Perhaps this can easily be seen by trac¬ 
ing it in a New Testament Greek concordance. The kind of sab¬ 
baths, new moons, etc., is shown by the phrase before referred to: 
“Which are a shadow of things to come.” This was literally true 
of the feast days—the monthly festivals and the yearly sabbaths. 

There is another consideration that is worthy of note in this 
passage that the student ought not to miss, and that is the point of 
the apostle’s teaching. He is speaking to Christians, those whom 
God has redeemed and re-created in Christ Jesus. They have been 
placed upon the true foundation of God’s word, and it is the apos¬ 
tle’s desire that they shall be rooted and builded up in Christ and 


THE CEREMONIAL LAW 


151 


established in faith. All this is in harmony with God’s holy word. 
Our Lord Himself was that word personified, a commandment 
keeper, and those rooted and established in Him by faith are also 
commandment keepers; therefore being justified by Him, received 
by Him, cleansed by Him, let not man judge. Let not man con¬ 
demn. In other words, whatever men may say, do not let us feel 
condemned by them, even though we are not walking in the or¬ 
dinances of men. God’s path of commandments upon which grace 
has placed us may lead us away from all the traditions of the 
church in the past, and contrary to all human laws in the present. 
Let not these things trouble us. Go forward, looking to Christ and 
to Him alone. We are not to be led away by false philosophy, nor 
to be puffed up by the fleshly mind, but the Christian is to hold fast 
the Head; and he who truly and intelligently holds fast the Head, 
Christ our Lord, will be a commandment keeper, not to earn salva¬ 
tion, but because of the life within him. 

Selling It Unto the Stranger. Deut. 14:21. 

I do not understand the following text: “Ye shall not 
eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it 
unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; 
or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy 
people unto the Lord thy God.” Deut. 14:21. 

The Lord means just what He says. He told His people not to 
eat anything which died of itself, but gave them permission to give 
it to the stranger within their gates, or to sell it to the foreigner. 
See Revised Version. “But was not this inconsistent?” Not at all. 
The stranger believed that such food was good, and ate such food 
continually. It was given or sold to him without any deceit, as 
flesh of an animal which had died of itself. The Israelites were for¬ 
bidden to eat blood, but that which died of itself of course con¬ 
tained the blood; but the other nations around them did not con¬ 
sider it wrong in any way to eat the blood. In all cases they evi¬ 
dently bought and sold such flesh for just what it was; while many 
times, if reports are to be believed, meat is sold nowadays for fresh, 
healthy meat when it is the flesh of animals that died of disease. 


152 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

And few are the flesh eaters, indeed, but that eat fish and shellfish 
which die of themselves by slow, lingering deaths, and they find 
no fault with the dealer for selling such. In fact, the great majority 
of all fish, lobsters, clams, crabs, oysters, shrimps, etc., die of them¬ 
selves, and are eaten with gusto by those who criticize the Lord’s 
directions in Deuteronomy 12:21. 

To What Law? Heb. 7:12. 

To what change of what law does Hebrews 7:12 refer? 

Read the context, or less, even the verse itself, and there can be 
no more question. It is the law relating to the priesthood. “The 
priesthood being changed,” of course the law regulating it must be 
changed. The Levitical priesthood was vested in the house of 
Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. The time of service, the kind of man, 
the sacrifices he offered, were all specified in law. But when Christ 
began His priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, He came of 
a different tribe to serve after a different order. The text in ques¬ 
tion has no more bearing upon the Decalogue than it has upon the 
Constitution of the United States. The use of it to endeavor to 
prove the change of the Sabbath shows to what desperate straits 
error is put to defend itself. 

What Days? Gal. 4:7-11. 

Please explain Galatians 4:7-11. To what days does 
the apostle refer? 

The passage is not difficult to understand if we will study the 
context. It will be seen from the eighth verse that the Galatians 
were at one time heathen; they were in bondage to them that “by 
nature are no gods.” In Leviticus 19:26 we learn that the Lord 
forbade indulging in the customs of the heathen. “Neither shall 
ye use enchantment, nor observe times.” See also Deut. 18:10. 

The heathen had their days dedicated to their gods. Sunday was 
the day dedicated to the sun, Monday to the moon, and so with 
all the days of the week. The months also were named in some 
cases after the gods, as January for Janus, the two-faced god. Those 


THE CEREMONIAL LAW 


153 


idolatrous feasts were many times scenes of the greatest license; 
they were essentially bestial and low. They were carried on 
throughout all heathen lands. Therefore, when the Galatians 
turned from the Lord Jesus Christ to self-justification, they natur¬ 
ally fell right back to the observance of the heathen days and times. 
For the apostle declares, “But now that ye have come to know God, 
or rather to be known by God, how turn ye bac\ again to the weak 
and beggarly rudiments, whereunto ye desire to be in bondage over 
again?” What were those weak and beggarly rudiments? It was 
“bondage to them that by nature are no gods,” and it constituted 
evidence that they observed days and months and seasons and 
years; that is, the heathen days and times and months and seasons, 
hoping for salvation in them. 

Are we to understand from this that God would have us observe 
no time? No; because He has Himself given us one time that 
should be observed, His great worship day, the Sabbath, the sev¬ 
enth day. 

"Nailed to the Cross.” Col. 2:14. 

Will you please explain Colossians 2:14? Does it teach 
that the Lord’s Supper is not to be observed, and that 
baptism is done away—that all these were nailed to the 
cross? 

The apostle is speaking of only those things which are against 
us, which are nailed to the cross. In the eighth verse he tells us, 
“Take heed lest there shall be anyone that maketh spoil of you 
through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, 
after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Those 
things that are of the world, those things that are of men, are not 
the things by which we are saved. They are the things that are to 
be put away. They are the things which have brought us into bond¬ 
age. In Christ dwells all fullness; in Him is true circumcision, the 
cutting off of sin. In Him we are baptized (verse 12), and we show 
our faith in Him by baptism, and by that baptism show to the 
world that we have “put off the old man” with all his workings. 
By His power we are raised, or made to walk in “newness of life,” 


154 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

and we can rejoice in the fact that He has blotted out all those 
things which would bring us into bondage, and nailed them to His 
cross forever; and He has wrought all this in order that we may 
obey Him in perfect freedom of spirit, keeping the things which 
He Himself has given, instead of being bound about by the rules 
and ordinances of men. That would include not only the tradi¬ 
tions of men, but it would include all those Jewish types and 
shadows and traditions which were done away when Christ came. 

Abolishing the Commandments. Eph. 2:15. 

Please explain Ephesians 2:15, “abolishing the enmity.” 

The thing which Jesus abolishes is “the enmity,” and the place 
where He abolishes it is in His “flesh.” He took upon Himself 
the flesh of those whom He saves (Heb. 2:14; Gal. 4:4, 5; Rom. 
1:3); and therefore the flesh that He took was the flesh that 
possessed all the tendencies toward sin, just the same as the flesh 
which the children bear. If our Lord had followed those tendencies, 
He would have been led into sin, as every human being has been; 
but by the power of the Spirit of God dwelling in Him by faith, 
He overthrew that enmity, abolished it. 

Man lets his mind run in harmony with his flesh, and it be¬ 
comes the carnal mind, and “the carnal mind is enmity against 
God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can 
be.” Rom. 8:7. The mind therefore is in bondage to sin. Jesus 
began His work where man failed, in the mind; and there He 
abolished the enmity in the flesh, even “the law of commandments 
contained in ordinances.” 

Out of that very idea of the carnal mind have come all of the 
ordinances that men have devised to enable them to live better. 
All the various stated fasts and the crucifixions of the flesh have 
arisen out of human effort to earn salvation; but all these passed 
away in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus abolished them, 
and made “in Himself of twain one new man, so making peace;” 
and He invites both Jew and Gentile to let that “new man” come 
into the heart, that they may be one in Christ Jesus. 


Section VIII 


THE COVENANTS 

The Words of the Covenant. Ex. 34:28. 

Please harmonize Exodus 34:28 with Hebrews 8:7 and 
Ephesians 2:12-15. 

There is nothing to harmonize. When two statements of inspir¬ 
ation seem to be in conflict, the difficulty is not in the statements, 
but in our limited understanding. We need to be brought into 
harmony with the word. Exodus 34:28 reads: “And he was there 
with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, 
nor drink water. And He wrote upon the tables the words of the 
covenant, the Ten Commandments.” Each of the first two times 
that the pronoun “he” occurs in the above it refers to Moses, who 
was in the holy mount by the invitation of the Lord. Verses 1, 2. 
The last “He” refers to the Lord, who wrote the Ten Command¬ 
ments, as He told Moses He would. See verse 1, where the Lord 
says, “I will write upon these tables the words that were in the 
first tables.” See also Deuteronomy 10:1-4, where Moses declares 
that “He [the Lord] wrote on the tables, according to the first 
writing, the Ten Commandments.” Boothroyd translates Exodus 
34:28, last clause, as follows: “And Jehovah wrote upon the tables, 
the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” The Ten 
Commandments are not the mutual covenant, the covenant which 
God made with Israel, as recorded in Exodus 19:5-8 and 24:3-8. 
Yet they are called the Words of the covenant, and the Ten Words 
of the covenant, because the covenant was made in respect to these 
words. That is, Israel in that promised to keep the Decalogue. 
The covenant into which Israel entered depended on the Deca¬ 
logue, not the Decalogue on the covenant. The covenant, the 
agreement which Israel made, could be broken a thousand times, 
but that would not affect God’s law. A foreigner may promise to 
keep the law of this country on condition that he be received as 
a citizen. That law would be the law of his covenant, or promise. 


i55 


156 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

He might then break his promise, or violate his covenant; but that 
would neither abolish nor confirm nor affect in any way the law 
of the land. That would stand whether he kept it or not. The 
covenant mentioned in Hebrews 8:7 was the covenant into which 
Israel entered. It was faulty, because Israel, being sinful and 
weak, could not keep the law. In the new covenant, old as the 
days of Abel, God puts the same law in the heart, and then man 
keeps it. 

Ephesians 2:12-15 refers to the covenants and man’s relation 
thereto. Verse 12 shows the condition of the Gentiles who do not 
know God. Verses 13, 14 show how they are brought nigh to 
God through Christ, who is our peace, to reconcile us to God. He 
does this by abolishing “in His flesh the enmity ” The “enmity” 
is not on God’s part, but ours. “Because the carnal mind is enmity 
against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed 
can be.” Rom. 8:7. This carnal mind, Christ abolished in His 
flesh for us all. In other words, Christ took away the sin and all 
those typical services and symbols which pointed out sin, and 
made remembrance of it, but could not take it away. Jesus Christ 
in no way abolished or changed the moral law, the Ten Command¬ 
ments. See Isa. 42:21; Matt. 5:17-20. It was inseparable from His 
heart and life. Ps. 40:7, 8. 

The New Covenant. Heb. 8:7-13. 

Please explain Hebrews 8:7-13. 

The passage is largely a quotation from the 31st chapter of 
Jeremiah. Jeremiah predicts the making of the new covenant. 
Hebrews records what has taken place in Christ Jesus. The first 
covenant was the covenant made at Mount Sinai recorded in Exo¬ 
dus 19 and in Exodus 24. That was a faulty covenant, because it 
was no stronger than the weakest promise which it had—the 
promise of the people. Note, “For if that first covenant had been 
faultless, then should no place have been sought for a second. For 
finding fault with them. ...” It was the people who were at fault. 
The new covenant, which was the everlasting covenant given to 


THE COVENANTS 


157 


Abel, to Noah, to Abraham, and to Israel, was based upon the 
promises of God. Man’s part was simply the yielding to those 
promises and the receiving of them. And when men do that, God 
promises not to compel them to obey, but so to place His law in 
their hearts and in their minds that they would have no other 
desire than to obey. They would love God and keep His com¬ 
mandments. All this is comprised in the gospel of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. It is, in other words, stating God’s great plan of salvation 
through faith. The old covenant, apart from its national view, was 
man’s effort to save himself through promise; the new covenant 
carries us clear over into the new state when sin shall be forever 
banished, and the children of the covenant shall bask in the smiles 
of God forever. And note, too, that the law written in the heart 
is the same law of God which Jeremiah knew, six hundred years 
before Christ. The law is eternal. 

The Two Covenants in Galatians. 

Please explain Galatians 4:24-31. 

Galatians 4:24-31 touches upon the old and the new covenant. 
Hagar is the type of one, Sarah is the type of the other; the child of 
Hagar, the type of those who are brought in through human schem¬ 
ing; the child of Sarah, a type of those who are brought in solely 
through the promise of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hagar bore children 
to bondage, for she was a bondmaid; so all those who are endeavor¬ 
ing to save themselves by any scheme of man are in bondage. They 
never can break their bondage themselves, and all they save or 
convert to such a system as that are children of bondage. On the 
other hand, Sarah was a free woman, and her children were free. 
She represents God’s order; and all those who are saved according 
to God’s order, with faith in the promises of the Lord Jesus, are 
children of freedom. The two things are represented by the earthly 
Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem. The earthly Jerusalem is 
representative of that kingdom which Israel tried to establish in 
their own righteousness under constant rebellion against God; but 
the New Jerusalem, to which the children have not yet come, is the 


11 


158 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Jerusalem that is made wholly after God’s order, and is free, and 
is therefore called the mother of the children of freedom. Hence, 
Paul concludes that we who have believed in Christ are as Isaac 
was—the children of promise. Isaac was persecuted by Ishmael, 
the child of the bondservant; so God’s true children will meet 
persecution from those who are following the schemes of men. 
But in the glorious outcome God will save His children, and cast 
out those who are not of Him. 

The Covenant and the Law. Gal. 3:16, 17. 

Kindly explain Romans 5:13, 14 and Galatians 3:16, 

17. It has been claimed that as Abraham was saved by 
faith, the law, coming 430 years after, could not change 
the covenant of faith. 

All of which is absolutely true, for all who are saved are saved 
by faith; “for without faith it is impossible to please Him.” What 
is meant by the law coming 430 years after, is that it was given in 
written form 430 years after. Of this we are expressly told that it 
does not make the covenant of none effect. The covenant is God’s 
everlasting promise in Christ Jesus. The object of the giving of 
Christ and that covenant is to save from sin, and sin is the trans¬ 
gression of the law. 

There were brethren in Galatia, as also elsewhere, who seemed 
to think that men were saved by the law. The apostle’s argument 
in both Romans and Galatians is to prove that man is saved, not 
by his righteousness, but by faith in Christ’s righteousness. If this 
point is kept in mind, there will be no difficulty whatever with 
any of these scriptures, for we are saved by faith. Faith lays hold 
upon the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That was true of 
Abraham. It is true of every child of Abraham since that. Conse¬ 
quently anything that comes in through God’s providence, or 
anything that man may do, cannot make of none effect the eternal 
promises of God; and this scripture shows that the law was not 
given to annul the promises, was not revealed in written form 
to Israel to change in any way God’s plan of salvation. The apostle 
in both Galatians and Romans tells us why the law came in in 


THE COVENANTS 


159 


written form. It was added, or spoken, because of transgression. 
Gal. 3:19. “Moreover the law entered, that the offense might 
abound” (Rom. 5:20); in order “that sin by the commandment 
might become exceeding sinful” (Rom. 7:13). “But where sin 
abounded, grace did much more abound.” God’s eternal moral 
standard is His holy law. Man’s everlasting hope in all ages is 
Jesus Christ. 

The Covenant by Sacrifice. Ps. 50:5. 

To what time does this apply? When will the gather¬ 
ing take place? 

The gathering will take place when our Lord Jesus Christ shall 
gather home His people. The covenant by sacrifice is that covenant 
which centers in the sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
That does not mean that His people will not sacrifice. They will 
give all, even as they accept all; but no sacrifice can make effective 
a covenant save the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. His is the 
sacrifice, ours the acceptance; and the acceptance is the renuncia¬ 
tion of our all upon the altar. Luke 14:33. 

The New Covenant and the Sabbath. 

In Jeremiah 31:31-34 we have a promise of a new cov¬ 
enant, and in Hebrews 8:6-11 it seems to be fulfilled. 

Some say that this is where the Sabbath of the Bible was 
changed. Is this true? 

We do not know how it could be changed through the new 
covenant, when the Sabbath is an integral part of God’s law, and 
the work which the new covenant will do for the believer is to 
write that law within the heart. That is what the new covenant 
has done through all the ages. The only time reference there can 
be to it would be its confirmation at the death of Christ. He was 
that new covenant incarnate. In Him were “the sure mercies of 
David.” Isa. 55:3, 4. He was a witness to the peoples, a leader and 
commander to the peoples. In His teaching He declared that it 
was easier for heaven and earth to pass away than one tittle of the 


160 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

law to fail. Matt. 5:17, 18. When the young man came to Him 
asking what he should do to obtain eternal life, Jesus .replied, “If 
thou wouldest enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. 
19:17. He Himself kept the law perfectly, and thus having taught 
and exemplified all the principles of the covenant, He confirmed 
it with His death upon the cross. Paul tells us that though it be a 
man’s covenant, if it be confirmed, no man disannuls or adds 
thereto. Gal. 3:15. He who seeks to crowd into that new covenant 
a worship day or an institution of which God has not spoken, is 
endeavoring to change the very hope of Christianity, and set aside 
the new covenant, sealed with the blood of Jesus. Oh, how much 
better it is to let the new covenant do the same work in our hearts 
that it did in the heart of Jesus of Nazareth! Then shall we say 
like Him, “I delight to do Thy will, O my God; yea, Thy law is 
within my heart.” 


Section IX 


UNPARDONABLE SIN 

Unpardonable Sin. 

Please give an example of unpardonable sin. Be as 
explicit as possible. 

Let us emphasize: An unpardonable sin is an unrepentable 
sin. Any soul that hates sin, that is sorry for his sinning, sorry 
that he has grieved God and the Holy Spirit, and longs to put 
away the sin, however deeply he has sinned, has not committed 
an unpardonable sin; for all these desires, feelings, emotions, 
longings, are begotten of the Spirit, to win him back to God. 

Why ask for instances? No two cases can ever be just the same. 
But when King Saul turned from God, the only one who could 
save, to a familiar spirit, he committed the unpardonable sin, be¬ 
cause there was rejection of the means of salvation, i Chron. 
10:13, 14. When the chief priests said, “We have no king but 
Caesar,” they rejected the only one who could save them. John 
19:15; Matt. 23:37, 38. When the scribes called that power in 
Christ which cast out demons the Beelzebub, they set aside the 
only power that could save, and they could find no forgiveness, 
because they could never discern its source. Mark 3:29, 30. 

It is the blood of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying power of the 
Spirit which saves. If we turn from these, what hope have we? 
Heb. 10:29. This is not to the discouraged soul, but to the sin- 
loving, Christ-hating soul. Here are three texts for every dis¬ 
couraged heart who has failed again and again: “As I live, saith 
the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but 
that the wicked turn from his way and live.” Ezek. 33:11. “Now 
the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall 
have no pleasure in him.” Heb. 10:38. “The Lord taketh pleasure 
in them that fear Him, in those that hope in His mercy.” Ps. 147 :ii. 
Read also Isaiah 55:7; Micah 7:18, 19. 


161 


162 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

All forgivable sins are repen table sins; but sin which is con¬ 
tinued under light and blessings which are used in a selfish way 
contrary to the appeals of the Spirit of God, only harden the heart 
all the more, and render it more and more unresponsive to every 
true appeal. This is true in the case of the wicked. How much 
more does it become true of one who has truly known God and 
yet turns away from Him and indulges in the things that are 
wrong! There is always hope for every soul, always repentance 
for every soul, who stands where the Spirit of God can convict 
him of his sin. There is never repentance when one identifies 
himself with the sin and continues on in it despite the appeals of 
the Spirit. 

Those Who Fall Away. Heb. 6:4-6. 

Please explain Hebrews 6:4-6. 

The text referred to reads: “For it is impossible for those who 
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and 
were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good 
word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall 
fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they cru¬ 
cify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open 
shame.” 

Another text from the same book speaks similarly upon the 
same subject, and the texts should be studied together. It reads: “For 
if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of 
the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain 
fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall 
devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without 
mercy under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punish¬ 
ment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden 
underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the 
covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath 
done despite unto the Spirit of grace?” Heb. 10:26-29. 

Some persons are troubled over these texts, thinking possibly 
they may have reference to the ordinary backslider, who in his 


UNPARDONABLE SIN 


163 


heart has never rejected the Lord, and who is continually thinking 
that someday he will enter His service again. And oftentimes 
when he begins to think seriously of taking up that service without 
delay, then the enemy of all souls will confront him with these 
texts, the same as he confronted Christ Himself with texts of 
Scripture, and sought to give them a wrong application. 

The text is speaking of individuals who have actually been 
enlightened. They have really tasted the heavenly gift, and know 
from experience what it is. They were made partakers of the 
Holy Spirit. They tasted the word of God, and also the powers 
of the world to come. Their experience reached out to the depth 
of definite knowledge, so that they knew the positive grounds of 
the divine gift. And now these individuals break away from all 
this, and, according to the text quoted from the tenth chapter of 
Hebrews, they count the blood of the covenant, wherewith they 
had been sanctified, an unholy, a common, thing. They have 
despised the Spirit of grace. 

The text speaks of an actual falling away that leads a man to 
renounce things that he really knows are truth, and to treat with 
disrespect and despite the Holy Spirit, whose influences in all their 
blessed realities he has felt upon his own heart and life. And 
having fallen away after this manner, it can be readily seen that 
he has broken off from all the influences that would draw him 
to heaven, and has purposely and with determination placed 
himself beyond hope, and beyond the reach of God. The text 
shows that he has done this willfully—he has exercised his will to 
do the thing. 

But the poor backslider, in the place of exercising any will 
power, has simply allowed his will to be overcome and dethroned 
by the persistent attacks of Satan; and to all such the Lord sends 
many gracious appeals in His word, as, “Go and proclaim these 
words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, 
saith the Lord; and I will not cause Mine anger to fall upon you: 
for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger forever. 
Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed 
against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the 


164 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed My 
voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children,- saith the 
Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a 
city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion.” “Return, 
ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, 
we come unto Thee; for Thou art the Lord our God.” Jer. 3:12-14, 
22. Of all the blessed attributes of God, there is one He has singled 
out as pre-eminent—“He delighteth in mercy.” Micah 7:18. 

Sinning Against the Holy Spirit. Matt. 12:31, 32. 

Can you tell me what sinning against the Holy Spirit 
is, as mentioned in Matthew 12:31,32; also in Luke 12:10? 

Compare these two scriptures with Mark 3:28-30. It will be 
clearly seen, by this comparison with the words found in Mark, 
that the sin against the Holy Spirit on the part of the Jews was 
attributing to Satan the power by which Christ wrought miracles. 
Jesus was working miracles that only Divinity could work. It 
was a strong, clear manifestation of the Spirit of God in Him. 
His teaching was in harmony with those miracles. He taught 
also the things of God. To declare, as the Jews did, that He cast 
out demons by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, was utterly to turn 
away from the only power that could save them, the power of the 
life and Spirit of God. This is the teaching of Jesus, and this will 
serve to show what sinning against the Holy Spirit is. 

The only reason why a sin is unforgivable is that it is unrepent- 
able. God has but one power to save His people, one means of 
cleansing. He cleanses by the blood of the Lord Jesus. He gives 
life and power by His Holy Spirit. See Heb. 10:29. 

Sin becomes unforgivable because it is unrepentable. If a soul 
is sinking on the sea, and a life buoy is thrown him, and he will 
not grasp it when he can, what help is there for him? He chooses 
to die. Take, for instance, the experiences of Jesus which called 
out these words. He had been casting out demons, relieving poor, 
distressed souls that had been under the bondage of Satan. He 
had given manifest evidence that the power which He exercised 


UNPARDONABLE SIN 


165 


was the mighty, loving power of God. But the Jews said, “By 
Beelzebub the prince of the demons casteth He out demons.” They 
attributed the work of the Spirit of God to the spirit of evil. See 
Mark 3:22-30. Note especially the last verse, “Because they said, 
He hath an unclean spirit.” 

Now it is possible for one who knows nothing of the working 
of the Spirit of God to speak against it, or blaspheme it, and still 
be saved. This seems to have been the case with the apostle Paul; 
for he declares, “I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in 
unbelief.” 1 Tim. 1:13. But to him who does it in the face of such 
light as the Jews themselves had, or to one who continually rejects 
the Spirit of God until the heart becomes hardened, there comes 
a condition at last that yields no response to the pleadings of the 
Spirit. The danger does not lie in God’s unwillingness to forgive; 
the danger lies in our putting ourselves in such an attitude toward 
God that He cannot reach us. 

Cannot Be Saved. Prov. 16:4; Rom. 9:15-24. 

Do not Proverbs 16:4 and Romans 9:15-24 teach that 
some persons cannot be saved? 

No. God saves character; and He calls to savable character 
every soul. The first scripture simply teaches that all things are 
fitting in God’s plan. The wicked will belong to the day of wrath; 
but God compels none to be wicked. See His oath in Ezekiel 33:11. 

God would have glorified His name through Pharaoh’s sub¬ 
mission if the Egyptian monarch had yielded, even as He did 
through Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus. He raised him up, brought 
him to the Egyptian throne, for that purpose. Pharaoh would not 
submit, therefore God’s Spirit left him to hardness of heart. Yet 
God got glory to Himself despite the king’s stubbornness. 

Study one expression in Romans 9:15. On whom is it God’s 
will to have mercy? “Showing mercy unto thousands of them 
that love Me, and keep My commandments.” Ex. 20:6. We expect 
that; but upon what other class is it God’s will to show compas¬ 
sion and mercy? “Let the wic\ed forsake his way, and the 


166 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, 
and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will 
abundantly pardon.” Isa. 55:7. “As I live, saith the Lord God, 
I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked 
turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; 
for why will ye die?” Ezek. 33:11. Read John 3:16 and Revela¬ 
tion 22:17. 

Ananias and Sapphira. Acts 5:1, 2. 

Acts 5:1, 2 says: “A certain man named Ananias, with 
Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part 
of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought 
a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” What was 
their reason for keeping back part of the price ? And the 
fourth verse says, “Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto 
God.” In what way did they lie to God? 

Shortly after the organization of the church at Jerusalem, there 
were some among the believers who, on account of their faith, 
were cast out of their homes, and cut off from their means of 
support, while others had money and property of considerable 
value. The record says of these, in the latter part of chapter 4, 
that they had all things in common. Those who had possessions, 
sold them and put the proceeds into the common fund; and from 
this, distribution was made to those who were in need. The 
instance is cited of one, Joses, who sold his property and brought 
the money to the apostles. Two others, Ananias and Sapphira, 
under the influence of the Spirit, pledged the proceeds from the 
sale of certain property. Later they allowed a spirit of covetousness 
to come into their hearts, and concluded that they had been too 
hasty in making such a large pledge. They noted, however, that 
those who had thus sacrified their possessions were held in high 
esteem by their brethren; and wishing to win for themselves this 
same high opinion, yet not wishing to give so large an amount, 
they deliberately decided to sell their property, and withhold a 
large share of the proceeds for themselves, while pretending to 
give the full amount. 


UNPARDONABLE SIN 


167 


In telling Peter that they had given the full amount that they 
had received, they deliberately lied to the Holy Spirit. It was true, 
as Peter said, that the property was their own, and they were not 
obliged to give it up—they had made the pledge of their own 
free will; and in attempting to deceive the apostles, they had lied 
to the Almighty. 

This example was given as a warning against hypocrisy, to 
those of all ages, and that they should beware of robbing God. 
It is God who entrusts men with property, and He does this that 
they may use it in blessing others, and He will one day call them 
to give an account of their stewardship. He claims a certain por¬ 
tion, a tenth, as His own; and aside from this, He asks that men 
give freewill offerings to aid in the propagation of His work in 
the earth. 

When a man has made a pledge to God, he should consider it 
his highest duty to fulfill it. The warning of God’s word is, “Be¬ 
ware of covetousness, which is idolatry.” a. o. t. 


Section X 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 

How Much Is Involved in Christian Marriage? 

Will you kindly define what constitutes a Christian 
marriage ? Is a marriage ceremony of any real value, and 
is there any importance to be attached to it by true be¬ 
lievers, aside from the formality which custom demands 
of those who enter the state of wedlock? Would not a 
man and a woman who had solemnly, before the Lord, 
promised to accept and take each other as husband and 
wife, be as truly married as though a civil ceremony had 
been performed by a justice, or a civil-religious ceremony 
by a minister of the gospel? 

It is impossible to set forth anything definite as to a form of 
ceremony. It seems to have been regulated by local customs, with 
certain essentials. In the first marriage, the Creator gave to the 
man his wife, under what form we know not, although we do 
know that there was sufficient form to convey clearly to all parties 
involved that a marriage had taken place, and the solemn truth 
was conveyed that the twain should be one flesh, and that the 
union was indissoluble and the relationship permanent. One of 
the essential things in marriage seems to have been the passing 
of the bride from her father’s house to the house of her husband 
or his father. This was preceded by betrothal, and accompanied 
with more or less ceremony, and solemn covenant. See references 
to these customs in the following: Ezek. 16:8-14; Mai. 2:14; 
Prov. 2:17; Gen. 24:57-60; Ruth 4:9-13; Isa. 61:10; Cant. 3:11; 
Jer. 2:32; Matt. 9:15; 25:1-10. These and many other scriptures 
indicate that ceremonies accompanied the marriage, feasts were 
held, friends were present, pledges were given, covenants were 
ratified. The right of both wife and children and the good of 
society demand some formalities in the marriage ceremony, and 
this seems to have been recognized all through Bible times. 

168 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 


169 


The use that is made of marriage as a symbol of the union 
between Christ and the individual (Rom. 7:4; Gal. 3:27), as well 
as between Christ and His kingdom (Isa. 54:4-6; 61:10; 62:3-5; 
Rev. 21:1, 2, 9, 10; 19:7-9), indicates that more should be made 
of the marriage itself than a mere formal contract between two 
parties, though the world may make too much of the ceremony 
and too little of the sacred union for life. The sacredness of mar¬ 
riage in God’s sight is also indicated by its prohibitions. 

While the solemn agreement between the man and the woman 
might, as between them and God, constitute a true marriage, they 
owe it to posterity and to the public to make it public and of public 
record. And the Bible demands conformity to civil law when 
duty to God does not contravene. Rom. 13:1-7. 

Taking One’s Brother’s Wife. Lev. 18:16; 20:21. 

Does not the moral law in Leviticus (Lev. 18:16; 20: 

21) apply today to all Christians just as it applied then 
to all the Jews? 

New Testament writers, such as Mark, Matthew, and Luke, 
make reference to Deuteronomy 25:5, but not to this passage in 
Leviticus. The prohibitions in Leviticus seem to be against gross 
and unlawful indulgence of lust or illegal marriage while the hus¬ 
band was yet living. If it were unlawful to marry the wife of a 
deceased brother, why was such an injunction given as in Deuter¬ 
onomy 25:5? While the illustration which Paul uses in Romans 
7:2, 3 is designed to teach a spiritual lesson, it must also have been a 
recognized fact in the marriage laws of the Jews. That being the 
case, a brother’s widow is free from her deceased husband, so that 
she is free to “be married to another man.” Compare the terms 
used in Leviticus 18:16 with verse 7 of the same chapter. The other 
text, Leviticus 20:21, evidently refers to adultery, the brother, the 
woman’s husband, being yet alive. See 1 Cor. 7:39. We do not 
believe that marriage to the wife of a deceased brother is contrary 
to Scripture. The indulgence of unlawful lusts, forbidden in the 
texts to which our querist refers, is always wrong. Some have 


170 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

had an idea that John the Baptist reproved Herod for marrying 
his deceased brother’s wife; but Herod took the wife of his brother, 
while his brother was yet living —quite a different thing. Deuter¬ 
onomy 25:5, before referred to, made it a duty to take a deceased 
brother’s wife, providing he died childless. If his brother did not 
die childless, it would naturally be the privilege of the widow and 
her former husband’s brother to marry if they felt so disposed. 


A Question of Divorce. 

Husband and wife are legally separated by divorce, 
though not for scriptural cause. The husband seeks rec¬ 
onciliation with the wife, but is unsuccessful. She marries 
another. Afterward he marries, and his wife bears him 
children. Later he is troubled as to whether his last mar¬ 
riage is right, and asks what course to pursue. What 
shall the husband do? 

There is, to our mind, only one thing for him to do, and that 
is to live a faithful, godly life with his present wife, the mother of 
his children. The legal divorce, and the action of the first wife in 
marrying left him free to marry as a Christian; let him so abide. 


Marriage of Cousins. Lev. 18 : 6 - 18 . 

Will you kindly tell me if there is any Bible reason 
why first cousins should not marry, and where it may be 
found? 

The degrees of consanguinity forbidden by the Scripture are 
named in Leviticus 18:6-18; 20:12, 14, 17, 19-21. First cousins are 
not forbidden to marry. One great objection to in-marrying, that 
is, the marrying of blood relations, is that the fruit of such union 
is likely to perpetuate, emphasize, and augment the unpleasant 
traits of the family. The fruit of such union is more likely to be 
affected unfavorably mentally and physically, all things being 
equal, than the fruit of a union between those not blood relatives. 
If both parents were of different temperament, strong and well 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 


171 


physically, and well-balanced mentally, one generation would not 
be likely to suffer. Today medical science claims to be able, by cer¬ 
tain tests, to determine in what cases it is safe for cousins to marry. 

Putting Away and Marrying. 

Will you please explain Matthew 5:32; 19:9? 

Both scriptures are in perfect harmony, and teach practically the 
same thing. “Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the 
cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whoso¬ 
ever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.” And 
the ninth verse of the nineteenth chapter reads, “Whosoever shall 
put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry 
another, committeth adultery.” It seems that the exception is very 
clearly and definitely marked,—that if there is fornication, the 
guilty party could be put away, and divorce secured; and the inno¬ 
cent one would be free to marry again. But it does not give the 
guilty party the right to marry again; and whoever marries the 
guilty party, partakes with that guilty party in the sin. This, it 
seems to us, is the teaching of the text. 

We know there are those who believe that persons divorced, for 
whatever cause, should never marry again; but in both of these 
cases, the Lord has given us a very clear exception, and other texts 
should be understood in harmony with it. 

In some instances in which persons have thus separated, the 
guilty party has married in harmony with the laws of the world, 
not knowing, or realizing, or appreciating, and perhaps not caring, 
what is said in the Scriptures regarding such a step. This course, 
so far as the law of the land is concerned, has been perfectly legal. 
Children have been born to such marriages, and afterward the 
participants may have embraced the gospel message of truth. What 
should they do? We would say that they had better remain as 
they are. When they came to Christ, He accepted them as they 
were, and did not design to break home ties, or marriage ties, or 
take away from the father or the mother the responsibility of car¬ 
ing for their offspring. 


172 


QUESTIONS ANSWERED 


Separation but Not Remarriage. 1 Cor. 7:15. 

Will you please explain i Corinthians 7:15? To whom 
does the instruction apply—to the man and woman who 
separate after one accepts Christ or after both profess to 
be Christians? In the first case, is the believer free to 
marry again? 

The verse reads: “But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. 
A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God 
hath called us to peace.” 

We learn this from verse 11: A wife, if she cannot live in peace 
with her husband, and separates, should remain unmarried or else 
be reconciled to the husband. The next verse tells us that if a 
brother (a believer) has a wife who does not believe, and she is 
pleased to dwell with him, he is not to put her away or leave her. In 
verse 13, similar instruction is given regarding the wife. Then verse 
15 says, “If the unbelieving depart,”—does not want to stay with the 
believer,—let him go. “A brother or a sister is not under bondage 
in such cases.” If the unbelieving departs, the believer has no right 
to marry again without a legal separation, and scripturally he would 
have no ground for a legal separation in a mere matter of belief or 
unbelief. There is but one cause for separation that will permit a 
scriptural remarriage while both parties are living; and our Lord 
states that clearly in Matthew 5:32. 

Is Polygamy Sin? 

God told man to be fruitful and multiply. Gen. 1:22, 
etc. Was it evil, or sin, for a man to have more than one 
wife? See instructions given in Deuteronomy 21:15-17. 

And there were many illustrious characters who had 
more than one wife. David did, and he is said to be 
“a man after God’s own heart.” 

In the first place, it would seem that if God had designed that 
man should have more than one wife, He would have made more 
than one wife for Adam. The record does not say that He made 
them male and females, but “male and female,” a female for a 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 


173 


male. He gave to Adam one wife, and the divine expression is, 
“They twain [the two, not four or five, or three even] shall be one 
flesh.” We have no more reason to gather from the Scripture that 
polygamy is right than that polyandry is right. Why has not the 
woman just as much right to two or more husbands as the man has 
to two or more wives ? 

Secondly, God wishes man to learn some things in the provi¬ 
dential outworkings of events, as well as by direct precept. Man 
had in the beginning God’s plan clear and direct. He ought to 
have followed that plan. When males were killed off in war and 
strife, man began to multiply wives to himself, contrary to God’s 
plan. And man’s devices have had some sad outworkings. Good 
men have failed to carry out God’s plan. Their hearts have been 
right, and God has accepted them notwithstanding their sins; but 
this does not excuse their sins, or their bad example, or the bad 
results. Abraham had many trials and much sadness on account of 
his two wives. He would have avoided much of his trial if he had 
believed God and refused to act on Sarah’s suggestion. Isaac’s life 
seems to have been a quiet and happy one; he had but the one wife. 
Jacob had two wives, and his life was miserable in consequence, on 
account of the jealousies of the wives and of the sons. David had 
more than one wife. He was a man after God’s own heart in his 
sorrow for sin, in his devotion, in his faithfulness, in his willingness 
to receive God’s reproof; but he certainly did not follow God’s way 
in multiplying wives to himself, and went directly against the com¬ 
mandment of God, that the king should “not multiply wives” to 
himself. Deut. 17:17. But just as soon as a man has more than one 
wife at the same time, he multiplies wives to himself. We have 
only to think of the sad history of David’s family, of his rebellious 
and wayward sons, to see the folly of his having many wives. So 
also with Solomon. In the teaching of Jesus, He brings us back to 
the original plan of Eden. “He which made them at the beginning 
made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man 
leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife [one]: and 
they twain shall be one flesh.” Surely it is contrary to God and His 
truth and His plan to have more than one wife. 


12 


174 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Unequal Marriages. Genesis 6. 

Who are “the sons of God” spoken of in Genesis, chap¬ 
ter 6, as marrying “the daughters of men”? 

Evidently the “sons of God” are the men who profess the reli¬ 
gion of God. Division came after sin entered. This is indicated by 
various expressions. For instance, in Genesis 4:26 we read: “Then 
began men to call upon the name of Jehovah,” or, as the margin 
reads, “to call themselves by the name of Jehovah.” The children 
of Seth were those who had faith in God. The children of Cain 
became the sons of men, and looked simply to this earth life. They 
did not have the faith in God that was manifest in Abel, and after¬ 
ward in Seth. The one class were men of the world; the other, 
children of God. But the children of God, with their human 
desires, looked upon the daughters of men, and saw that they were 
fair, and “took them wives of all that they chose;” and just as 
Solomon’s heart was weaned away from God by his wives, so the 
sons of God became corrupted in this way. Mighty men sprang 
from them, but these men were corrupt and wicked at heart. 

The New Testament gives clear warning against the marriage 
of Christians with unbelievers: “Be not unequally yoked with un¬ 
believers : for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity ? or 
what communion hath light with darkness?” See 2 Cor. 6:14-18. 
Such marriages have always been lacking in completeness. 

The Case of Esther. 

Persians could not marry Jews. What about the case 
of Esther? 

Our querist has turned the matter around. Persians were not 
forbidden to marry Jews, but Jews were forbidden to marry Per¬ 
sians. But in this case, it was not the choice of Esther, but the 
choice of the king; and the Jews were captives and slaves in the 
land of Persia. Esther seems to have been gathered among the 
beautiful maidens of the kingdom from whom the king was to 
take his choice; and she was chosen. It was an exceptional case, 


MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 


175 


and God overruled it for the good of His children. There were 
those exceptional cases all the way through. For instance, Rahab, 
of the inhabitants of Canaan, of the city of Jericho, who housed 
the spies, became an ancestress of our Lord, and so also did Ruth 
the Moabitess. But these were exceptional cases, and did not per¬ 
vert the holy seed. 


Section XI 


ASTRONOMY 

The Sun Standing Still. Joshua 10:12. 

Joshua asked the Lord that the sun should stand still; 
but the astronomers claim that the sun stands still all the 
time, and the earth moves. How should we understand 
this apparent discrepancy? 

It is easily understood if we will allow the same usage of lan¬ 
guage in the Bible as elsewhere. We speak of the sun’s rising and 
setting. But when we say the sun has risen, we mean that the por¬ 
tion of the earth upon which we are has revolved toward the sun; 
and when we say the sun has set, we mean that that portion has 
revolved away from the sun. So it was in Joshua’s day. The sun 
did not go down. Joshua desired that it should not go down in ap¬ 
pearance. This could have been met in two ways. The reflection 
of the sun could have been cast back upon the earth just as long as 
God desired it to, if He chose to work that way; or He could have 
retarded the motion of the earth, so that the day would be much 
longer. It was in God’s power to do either. 


The Sun and the Earth. Eccl. 1:5. 

I wish you would explain Ecclesiastes 1:5. I have al¬ 
ways understood that the earth revolves around the sun. 

The language of Ecclesiastes 1:5, “The sun also ariseth, and the 
sun goeth down,” is simply the language of appearance. All the 
scientific men of the day use the same expression in speaking of 
“sunrise” and “sunset,” The scientists of our day tell us that 
neither the sun nor the earth stands still, but that both are moving 
on through space, the sun with all its attendant planets, while rela¬ 
tively—that is, in their relation to each other—the sun stands still 
and the earth revolves around it. 


176 


Section XII 


SATAN 


Lucifer and Babylon. Isa. 14:12-14. 

Please explain the reference to Tyrus in the Garden of 
Eden, and Lucifer in heaven, still being Babylon. Ezekiel 
28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-14. 

The first “king of Babylon” was and is Lucifer. Isa. 14:4, 12. 
His spirit of selfishness in heaven as Lucifer is the spirit of Babylon, 
strife and confusion, the same spirit which has controlled Babylon 
ever since. The earthly king, or prince, of Babylon worked the will 
of Satan, or Lucifer, the king. Isaiah 14:4-20 is a prophecy of what 
will come upon Satan and all his children in the end, typified by 
the destruction of ancient Babylon. Tyre was a city noted for its 
pride and wickedness. The prince of Tyre, its earthly king, had 
lifted up himself as God. Ezek. 28:2. In thus arrogating to him¬ 
self such authority and wisdom, he was actuated by Satan, the 
king of Tyre, described in his beginning and end in verses 11-19. 
The garden of God is in the city of God, in heaven, where Lucifer 
dwelt before his sin. 

Creation and Satan. Gen. 1:2. 

Was this earth made and in the condition of Genesis 
1:2 any time before creation week? When was Satan cast 
out into the earth? 

Candidly, this is a question over which there is considerable 
difference of opinion among even the best of Bible scholars. Some 
hold there was absolutely nothing here until the first day of crea¬ 
tion week, nothing but emptiness. Others believe that the matter 
from which the earth was made was here in a formless state long 
before creation week began. On this latter view it may be interest¬ 
ing to observe the following: 

Genesis 1:1 seems to be cut off from the six days which follow 


x 77 


178 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

by the passage which intervenes. It is not said, “In six days the 
Lord created heaven and earth;” but, “In six days the Lord made 
heaven and earth.” The first verse of Genesis carries us back to the 
beginning, whenever that was, as the time when God began His 
creation. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the 
earth.” The book of John begins in the same way. “In the be¬ 
ginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All 
things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything 
made that was made.” This may pertain to the very material out 
of which the heavens and the earth were made,—the finishing of 
many things and the calling into existence of our own solar sys¬ 
tem with others. Then we read that “the earth was without form, 
and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” See the 
Revised Version, “The earth was waste and void.” It was in a 
chaotic condition. Out of that chaotic condition the creative and 
formative power of God brought the earth into the condition it 
was at the close of the six days’ work. 

Before that six days’ work angels existed; for we read in Job 
38:4-7: “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the 
earth ? declare, if thou hast understanding. . . . When the morn¬ 
ing stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” 
By reference to Isaiah 14:12-14 we learn that Satan before he fell 
was named Lucifer, the Daystar, the Son of the Morning, one of 
the morning stars. By reference to Revelation 22:16 we learn that 
the Son of God was one of the morning stars; in fact, Jesus declares: 
“I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the Bright and 
Morning Star.” When the foundation of the earth was laid, there 
was perfect harmony in heaven. The morning stars sang together; 
the very thought implying that there was to come a time when they 
would not, or, rather, the text was written at a time when that 
harmony did not exist. All the sons of God, all the heads of dif¬ 
ferent worlds, sang together when this world was brought into 
existence. And yet shortly, seemingly, that harmony was dispelled. 
Lucifer was lifted up because of his beauty, and corrupted his 
wisdom by reason of his brightness, we learn in Ezekiel 28, where 


SATAN 


179 


the fallen angel is spoken of under the figure of the king of Tyre. 
In his pride he fell. 

He was cast out of heaven, where God dwells; came to this earth, 
the newest creation in God’s universe, determined to overthrow 
those whom God had placed here. This he accomplished. Man 
yielded to his persuasion, and Satan became prince of the world; 
and so when the sons of God came to present themselves before 
the Lord, Satan came also among them, as stated in Job i and 2; 
and this position he seemed to occupy until Christ Jesus the Lord 
came. Then it was that Jesus met the tempter in the very fullness 
of his power; then, too, it was that He conquered; and then, too, 
was fulfilled Revelation 12:7-9. That war in heaven continued 
from the time that man fell until the time that Christ died upon 
the cross; for Michael, which means, “who is like God,” is none 
other than Christ; and that casting down was the utter casting 
down, so that his appearance among the rulers, or heads, of worlds 
could no longer be recognized in heaven. 

Can Satan Cure Sickness? 2 Thess. 2:8-10. 

In Matthew 12:26 Jesus said Satan could not cast out 
Satan. Does it not say in some other place in the Bible 
that in the last days Satan shall work with all power and 
signs and lying wonders, curing sickness? A friend told 
me that sin led to sickness and death. If this is so, Satan 
could not cure sickness. Please explain. 

Satan had not been able to cast out Satan, and yet it would seem 
as though he could command his own demons. The Bible repre¬ 
sents the devil as the head of a company of evil angels called de¬ 
mons. These demons are at his command. They may affect an 
individual and cause functional difficulties and troubles, and Satan 
may be able for a time to relieve the individual so as to seem to 
cure the disease. There are two classes of disease: junctional, in 
which the action of the organs is disturbed; and organic, in which 
some part or organ of the body is seriously affected, as of tubercu¬ 
losis or cancer. Many times the first class is cured by the removal 
of the cause, the latter by miraculous power or by natural forces. 


180 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

It would seem very reasonable to believe that where Satan caused 
the difficulties, as he does many times, he could in some instances, 
at least, remove them, so as to seem to cure. It is in 2 Thessalonians 
2:8-10 where we are told that he will work “with all power and 
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unright¬ 
eousness.” Notice the falsehood that is implied in all of this. All 
true healing of sickness and all ultimate healing include both body 
and soul. The devil would be glad to have us turn our whole 
attention to the healing of the body, which is important. But in¬ 
finitely more important is the healing of the soul from the effect 
of sin; because sin is the cause primarily of all trouble, for sick¬ 
ness would not have come had it not been for sin. But that does 
not mean that everyone who is sick is necessarily a sinner. There 
are many who have inherited sickness; some have it because of 
fruits of evil sowing, of which they have repented, although the 
fruits are not yet passed away. 

Is the Devil a Separate Entity or a Principle? 

Is there a personal devil? Do the terms “devil” and 
“Satan” refer to an evil principle or to an entity? 

There is but one devil, in the Greek ho Diabolos, the devil. 
When the word occurs in the plural in the common version it is 
from “demon.” At the head of all the demons, or evil spirits, is 
the devil. 

He is called “that old serpent,” “the devil, and Satan, which 
deceiveth the whole world.” Rev. 12:9. 

“Satan” means adversary, and the devil is the adversary of God. 
He is also called “Abaddon” and “Apollyon,” meaning “destroyer.” 
Rev. 9:11. 

He is everywhere represented as a personal, intelligent, plan¬ 
ning, scheming, plotting, morally responsible personality. See 
Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 10:18; Jude 9; 1 John 3:8; John 8:44; 1 Peter 
5:8; Job 1 and 2. 

He is called “dragon,” and “serpent,” because in that form he 
first tempted man. Gen. 3:3, 4. He is called “prince of this world” 


SATAN 


181 


and “god of this world,” because earthly kingdoms have yielded 
to him, and all mankind have been deceived by him, and the ma¬ 
jority have followed and served him. John 12:31; 14:30; 2 Cor. 
4:4; Rev. 12:9. He is therefore called “king of Babylon,” and 
“king of Tyre.” Isa. 14:4; Ezek. 28:12. 

He was once an angel of light, one of the day, or morning, stars, 
named Lucifer (light bringer), and was the very highest of all 
God’s creation. Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-15. 

From this high position he fell because of pride, and became an 
accuser, an adversary, a liar, deceiver, murderer. He will finally be 
destroyed forever with sin, and God’s universe will be clean. Ezek. 
28:16-19; Heb. 2:14. 

What Is the Unclean Spirit of Luke 11:24-26? 

The scripture reads as follows: “The unclean spirit when he is 
gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking 
rest, and finding none, he saith, I will turn back unto my house 
whence I came out. And when he is come, he findeth it swept 
and garnished [“empty,” also Matt. 12:44]. Then goeth he, and 
taketh to him seven other spirits more evil than himself; and 
they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man be- 
cometh worse than the first.” 

The parable was no doubt spoken in regard to the Jewish peo¬ 
ple. They had, as a people, been cleansed from their wickedness 
through the goodness of God; but instead of being filled with the 
fruits of righteousness by faith, their house had been left empty. 
They had swept and garnished it by their own high professions 
and formalities and their outward works of humility and right¬ 
eousness; they were like whited sepulchers, which appear beauti¬ 
ful outwardly, but not having invited the Lord to take up His 
dwelling with them, they had left themselves where the evil spirit 
could return with sevenfold power, as it did in their rejection of 
Jesus Christ. It was true of them in the time of our Saviour. Under 
the powerful influence and preaching of John, many, no doubt, 
turned for a while from their sins; but instead of receiving Christ, 
whom John preached, the heart was left empty, and Satan came 


182 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

in and took the place which should have been occupied by Christ, 
and the nation went on from bad to worse, till it crucified its Lord. 

It is just as true as regards individuals. The unclean spirit is 
cast out. God in mercy expels him to save the man, that the man 
may be free. The man asks for cleansing, and God cleanses, 
cleanses that the man may serve Him. The house is left empty, 
swept, garnished. The unclean spirit is cast out, that the Spirit of 
God may come in. The man is released from the bondage of Satan, 
that he may freely serve God. But this must be voluntary also. 
The man refuses, thinks to do nothing and yet go free. The evil 
spirit goes forth seeking rest and nourishment, but finds none; and 
he returns to his house,—the man who was cleansed,—and, finding 
the house empty, enters and again takes possession. He controls 
the man, and, to make possession sure, lets in others. Surely the 
last state of that man is worse than the first. 

If Christ has cleansed us from one sin, set us free from one evil 
habit, it is that the good may take its place; and if we refuse to use 
the strength to do the good that Christ would put in the place of 
evil, sooner or later the evil will return leading a troop of others 
worse than the original, and we will be doomed to a worse bond¬ 
age than ever before. We cannot remain neutral; it will avail 
nought to say, “We will do nought against Christ.” The Master 
declares, “He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gath- 
ereth not with Me scattereth.” Luke 11:23. And then follows the 
above scripture. Surely the lesson is important. Who shall rule, 
Christ or Satan ? 


Section XIII 


RELIGIOUS LIBERTY 

Religious Liberty. John 12:47, 48. 

The above scripture presents one of the grandest, noblest utter¬ 
ances ever spoken by any teacher in the world. Jesus said: “If any 
man hear My words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came 
not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth 
Me, and receiveth not My words, hath One that judgeth him: the 
word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” 
In other words, man’s right to absolutely free choice is here recog¬ 
nized. Our Lord would force no one to believe, no one to confess, 
no one to act contrary to his own convictions. Jesus presents in His 
teaching and in His life evidence sufficient to base faith upon, but 
the soul is left free. He will not judge; He will not condemn. 
Neither must His followers. All the condemnation which the sin¬ 
ner will need will be to face in the last great day the living words 
of Christ,—the words which would have saved if believed,— 
which he rejected. Would that those who seek to compel religious 
belief or practice could learn Christ’s words and His Spirit. 

"The Higher Powers.” Rom. 13:1. 

Please explain Romans 13:1. Some persons claim that 
it refers to all officers from king or president down to 
the humblest overseer. 

In a general way the application of the passage is as broad 
as above stated. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers,” 
to every power in the sphere in which God has placed us. If we 
belong to an organization, we should acquiesce in all required of 
us wherein those in charge have jurisdiction. But the officer has 
no right to compel the observance of a civil law, for that is outside 
of his jurisdiction. He has no right to say that we must have fam¬ 
ily prayers, for that is outside of his jurisdiction. His authority lies 

i8 3 


184 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

exclusively within the field to which he is appointed. So in regard 
to magistrates and other civil officers. 

God has ordained government, because the worst government 
in the world is better than anarchy. All civil government falls, in 
a general sense, within the scope of this scripture. But all civil 
governments are ordained for things exclusively civil. They have 
no right to command or to enforce religious ordinances, institu¬ 
tions, or observances, neither to prohibit religion; and if they do 
any of these things contrary to the conscience and belief of any soul 
within the territory they govern, that soul has a right to say, as 
did Peter, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” For any 
civil power to attempt to control or to regulate religion, is to put 
itself in the place of God, and it thereby becomes a blasphemer. 
“The powers that be are ordained of God” to do the work for 
which they are ordained. God has not delegated to them His power 
or authority. 


Section XIV 


CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 

Helpless in Sin. Rom. 7:15-25. 

Kindly explain Romans 7:15-25. We do not understand 
its meaning. 

In general, the passage reveals the state of a sinner’s mind whom 
the Spirit of God by the law has convicted of sin. He sees that he 
has transgressed a holy and good law. He longs to do differently, 
but finds himself in bondage to sin, his master. His mind admires 
and reverences the law of God. He hates sin. And yet he commits 
sin. His mind is in bondage to the flesh. The Spirit reveals to him 
the holiness of God’s law without. In the beginning that same law 
was written in man; but the sinner finds that good law perverted 
in himself, and tending to sin and death, warring against the good 
law of God unperverted by sin, and which his mind delights in. 
But he cannot do it, for sin binds him. In his agony he exclaims, 
“Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Jesus Christ 
is there revealed, and the sinner finds deliverance from sin in his 
Saviour. Finding deliverance, he serves the law in which his mind 
delights; he is free, therefore, in Christ from the dominance of 
the flesh. 

Unconfessed Sin. 1 John 1:9. 

Would one sin unconfessed have the same effect as one 
commandment trespassed, in shutting one away from sal¬ 
vation? Give a few instances of what kind of sin needs 
to be confessed publicly, what kind to our neighbor, and 
what kind in the family circle. 

The unconfessed sin is cherished, or else pride of heart is so 
cherished that it leads us to keep the sin rather than confess it. God’s 
means of taking sin from His children is through confession. “If 
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. David 


186 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

said, “I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity did 
I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah; 
and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” Ps. 32:5. All sin 
is transgression of God’s law, the transgression of some one or 
more commandments of that law. Therefore, to commit sin and 
retain the sin instead of putting it away by confession, is just the 
same as the transgression of one of the commandments of His law. 

Wisdom as well as thoroughness should be used in the confes¬ 
sion of sin. The confession should be made as broad as the sin 
if possible. If the sin, the wrong, is against God alone, we should 
confess it to God. For instance, if one has cherished hatred in his 
heart against a neighbor, if he has coveted that which belongs to 
another, and yet has not offended humanity in thus doing, it would 
be sufficient to go to God and tell Him of this and pour out the 
heart before Him. If one’s sin has been an open sin before the 
public, if he has been an open Sabbathbreaker or a user of pro¬ 
fane language, or a thief, so that it has become common knowledge, 
he should make that confession before the public. He should take 
such a stand that the public before whom he had committed these 
sins would know that he had turned from these sins and was 
obedient to God. 

If he has sinned directly against his neighbor in his language 
or in his treatment of that neighbor,— a sin known to his neighbor, 
— he should certainly confess to his neighbor his sin. So in regard 
to family matters. There is a homely illustration that the plaster 
should be made large enough to cover the sore; and so the con¬ 
fession should be made large enough to cover the sin. Satan would 
be glad to have souls confess, before the public, secret sins that lie 
between them and God only. This the Lord does not demand. 

"Be Perfect.” Matt. 5:48. 

Kindly explain Matthew 5:48: “Ye therefore shall be 
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” 

God never sets before His children a low standard. It would 
be absolute cruelty to us for Him to do this. He sets before us 
always that which is perfect; and His admonition is, “Ye there- 


CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 


187 


fore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That 
does not mean perfect in wisdom as God is perfect; for we are 
finite. It does not mean perfect in knowledge as He is perfect, or 
perfect in power as He is perfect; because His sphere of being is 
infinitely above us. But it does mean that we should love Him 
perfectly with all the heart and mind and soul and strength. This 
is what God desires; “for the eyes of the Lord run to and fro 
throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf 
of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” 2 Chron. 16:9. 
Therefore we can be perfect in our sphere by His grace, even as 
God is perfect in His sphere. The one who has perfect love will 
certainly desire to render perfect service. 

Repeated Forgiveness. Isa. 5 5:7. 

If a person sins and God forgives him, and then he 
does the same thing over and over, knowing it is wrong, 
is there any forgiveness for him? 

There is forgiveness for a person just as long as there is sincere 
repentance. The danger is not that we shall so sin that God will 
not forgive us, but that we shall by sinning place ourselves where 
there is no more conscience for sin. God’s mercy is unlimited in 
its exercise in the number of times as well as in quantity. Mat¬ 
thew 18:21-35; Luke 17:3, 4; Isaiah 1:18; Micah 7:18, 19, are 
all passages which point out God’s wondrous mercy, unlimited 
in quantity and extent to all those who trust Him. But constant 
sinning against light hardens the heart and benumbs the conscience. 
There may be sorrow exercised to the very end because of the 
consequences of sin; but to him who continues to sin, the con¬ 
science becomes at last benumbed, so that while it mourns over 
the results of sinning, it still loves the sin, and is not offended at 
its presence. Like Esau, the sinner finds no place of true repentance, 
though he seeks it carefully with tears. 

The fact that one is continually sinning ought to lead to thor¬ 
ough self-examination and humility. But to him who is truly 
repentant, who seeks forgiveness of God, there is hope. “Him 


188 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

that cometh to Me,” says the Saviour of men, “I will in nowise 
cast out.” He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that 
the wicked turn from his evil way and live. Ezek. 331 n. He will 
abundantly pardon all those who forsake their way and return to 
the Lord. Isa. 55:7. “Whosoever will” may come. 

"Sanctification” and "Regeneration.” 

I am told that regeneration is one step; that sanctifica¬ 
tion is a degree beyond to which we must attain, or be 
lost. Will you please explain these terms? 

The two words express different things. “Regeneration” means 
to be begotten again, born again. It is wholly of God. It is a new 
creation wrought by His power in the person who yields to Him. 
It makes a man a new creature. “Sanctification” means a separa¬ 
tion from sin unto God. It is a setting apart to His service. It is 
both instantaneous and progressive. When man gives himself 
wholly to God, when he separates from the world unto God, he 
is a sanctified, or separated, man, in which man acts his part by 
yielding, and God His part by accepting and cleansing. The de¬ 
velopment of that setting apart comes every day as God’s truth is 
presented, enrolled, revealed, by the Spirit. So Jesus prayed, “Sanc¬ 
tify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth.” Yielding to 
that word, following it, receiving and appropriating it, is constant 
separation from the world unto God. It is a lifework in the develop¬ 
ment of character. Regeneration gives the new life; sanctification 
maintains it. 

Backsliding and the Prodigal Son. Heb. 6:4-6. 

Kindly explain the parable of the prodigal son. In 
Hebrews 6:4-6 it seems impossible for the backslider to 
return; but the prodigal son seems to have returned, and 
was received by his father. 

Hebrews 6:4-6 does not imply that individuals cannot return, 
but that they will not return. It says that it is impossible “to renew 
them;” that is, no outward inducement of friends will bring them 


CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 


189 


back to God. The desire to return is gone. The parable of the 
prodigal son is too plain to need explanation. Any soul, it matters 
not who he may be, that longs to return to his Father’s house, 
may return and find welcome, just the same as the younger son, 
who had wasted his substance, found welcome with his earthly 
father. Every desire which the backslider has to come back to his 
Father’s house is but the echo of the pleading voice of the Spirit 
of God. Every longing for the good which is to be found alone 
in Christ is born of the love by which God calls the backslider 
to return. And God is as much more willing to receive us than 
the earthly father was to receive his son, as heaven is higher than 
the earth. Isa. 55:7-9. Read the description of backslidden Judah 
and Israel in Jeremiah 2 and 3, and then read Jeremiah 3:22, 
“Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.” 
And again, Jeremiah 4:1, “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the 
Lord, return unto Me.” In fact, the record of all God’s dealings 
with His people shows that He “delighteth in mercy,” and that 
there is nothing He longs for so much as to have the backslider 
and the sinner come to Him. He says, “Say unto them, As I 
live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the 
wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn 
ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of 
Israel?” Ezek. 33:11. If we will but come as did the prodigal, 
saying, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in Thy sight, 
and am no more worthy to be called Thy son,” yet with simple 
faith in God’s goodness, the Lord will receive us. 

Will God Leave Him? Deut. 31:6. 

If a person humbly and honestly seeks God for wisdom 
and guidance to do a certain thing, truly desiring to do 
nothing to injure the cause of God, will God leave him 
to himself, or turn him over to the adversary? 

Many questions similar to the above are asked to which no 
definite answer can be given by man, because man does not know 
all the facts having a bearing on the case. This we may say with 


13 


190 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

assurance: God will leave no one to himself or to Satan who 
fully trusts in Him. God’s “ways are ways of pleasantness,” and 
all His “paths are peace.” But the Lord may not have wanted 
the person to do the certain thing. Sometimes we wish a certain 
thing done, and we persuade ourselves that we are the one to 
do it, though we are not, and then we ask God for wisdom to 
do it. We may have started on a wrong principle in the first 
place. On this we may settle: God does nothing wrong; He does 
all things right; He will always keep His word. If we fail, it is 
our fault, not His. In our blindness we may not see our fault; it 
may be farther back than we wish to look; but if there be fault, 
it is with us, not God. Yet, after all, what we may call failures or 
mistakes may in God’s wisdom be success. It is ever safe to trust 
God. See Isa. 45:19; Rom. 9:33. 

If in our human wisdom we have made mistakes, let us confess 
the mistakes to God and to those directly affected by them, and 
then leave them with Him. He will take care of all results. If 
some will hold hard feelings over mistakes we have made but 
have tried to rectify, we cannot help that. God will see that His 
cause does not suffer by our repented-of and forsaken mistakes. 

"Doth Not Commit Sin.” 1 John 5:18. 

“Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for 
His seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because 
he is born of God.” Does John mean that if a person is 
born of God he cannot sin; and if he does sin, is it a proof 
that he never was born of God? Is it always true that the 
one who is born again “keepeth himself, and that wicked 
one toucheth him not”? 1 John 5:18. 

It is the purpose which God regards, the principle that actuates 
and moves the soul. He who is born of God has the one purpose. 
He may fall, he may sin; but just as long as he holds unswervingly 
to that purpose, God counts him His. “The eyes of the Lord run 
to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong 
in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." 2 Chron. 
16:9. Understand “cannot” in the sense of “will not,” as in the 


CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 


191 


oft-quoted expression, “Look you, what I will not, that I cannot 
do;” or as in Luke 14:20, “I have married a wife, and therefore 
I cannot come,”—not that it was a physical impossibility, but that 
there was no desire. And so he that is born of God does not 
commit sin; that is not his purpose, his business. He cannot, 
because he will not. The Syriac has it, “doth not practice sin;” 
that is not his lifework. There is always danger of poor mortals’ 
sinning, and yet the power of God is able to keep one from sin. 
“My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not 
[or that ye may not sin]. And if any man sin, we have an advocate 
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” 1 John 2:1. 

Forgiveness. Col. 3:13. 

If persons that I have always thought to be my friends 
pass me by without speaking, and talk to injure me with¬ 
out a cause, am I bound to forgive them and feel as 
friendly as before, unless they ask forgiveness? Christ 
does not forgive unless we ask; need we unless we are 
asked ? 

We should hold the spirit of forgiveness toward all. This 
does not mean that we should go to him who has wronged us 
and say, “We forgive you,” for that would be by implication 
charging him with wrong. But we should show that we are 
friendly and ready to forgive. Christ was anxious to forgive us a 
long time before we asked Him; and therefore as soon as we came 
to that place where we saw our need of His pardon, and by asking 
showed that we saw our need,—the only place where the forgive¬ 
ness could do us good,—Christ there and then freely granted what 
He was anxious to do all the time. “Even as Christ forgave you, 
so also do ye.” Col. 3:13. “And when ye stand praying, forgive, 
if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in 
heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:25. But to 
forgive thus we must hold the spirit of forgiveness toward all, 
whether they ask pardon or not. 

But this is the very thing which it is difficult for us to do. 
Shall we offer two suggestions which may be of help? 1. We can 


192 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

easier forgive others when we think that they by endeavoring to 
injure us are injuring themselves far more. They can only injure 
our reputation, or that which is to us extraneous, but can never 
injure our character without our consent; but they do injure that 
which to every soul should be of superlative value,— their own 
character. Knowing this, our pity should be aroused. 2. If we, 
in the language of the poet, would— 

“Remember thy follies, thy sins, and thy crimes; 

How vast is that infinite debt! 

Yet Mercy hath seven by seventy times 
Been swift to forgive and forget”— 

we could more easily forgive. 

He loved us, and therefore forgave, even praying God to 
forgive His tormentors. Can we not do the same? 

Willful Sin. Heb. 10 : 26 . 

What is a willful sin? See Heb. 10:26. When the still 
small voice speaks to one who is walking in the light and 
says to him in time of temptation, “Do not do that now, 
wait awhile, for it will be a hindrance or a detriment to 
your spiritual understanding,” nevertheless that one 
yields to the overpowering influence of the wicked one 
simply for the sake of gratifying baser passions of the 
mind, and commits the sin regardless of consequences, 
and this is followed by a troubled conscience, not be¬ 
cause of the act itself, but because of not having a greater 
regard for the impulse of the Holy Spirit, is there hope for 
such a one, or has the poor mortal committed the un¬ 
pardonable sin — sold his birthright? 

As to whether it is a willful sin or not depends. The sin 
mentioned in Hebrews 10:26 is a grievous, God-defying sin. It 
means not only that, but continuance in sin. Compare the passage 
in Hebrews 6:4-8. The ground blessed of God that continues to 
produce thorns and thistles is at last rejected utterly. So the heart 
that continually shuts God out and continually yields to the in¬ 
fluences of the flesh, sooner or later yields all. From the illustration 


CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE 


193 


used in the 28th verse of the chapter under consideration, it would 
seem that the willful sin is one that willfully sets at nought God’s 
commandments. The men that set at nought Moses’ law died 
without compassion. Of how much sorer punishment should he 
be worthy who had trodden underfoot the Son of God, and had 
counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, 
an unholy thing, and had done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 
That is, the Son of God is counted no more than common things; 
the blood of the covenant no more than common blood; and the 
Spirit of grace no more than an impulse. One who does this, by 
the very act of doing it, puts himself in that place where he is 
unable to discern the Spirit of God; unable to hear God’s voice 
speaking to him. 

The danger to the sinner is not that he will come to that place 
where God will not forgive, but that he will come to that place 
where there can be no sincere repentance. The very fact that there 
is true sorrow for sin is always an evidence that one has not 
passed beyond the limits of God’s grace; that there is hope for 
him. Hope vanishes when the sinner reaches that place where 
he has no true sorrow for sin. He may be sorry because of the 
effects of sin. He may be sorry that he is found out. But he whose 
case is hopeless never has a truly grieved heart because he has 
sinned against God, who is so good, so kind, so merciful. Some¬ 
times when one has sinned grievously, he is uncertain as to his 
condition for some time; he does not know whether his sorrow 
is real or not; whether his repentance is sincere or otherwise. 
God permits this in order that the soul may be thoroughly tested. 
The only way for that one to do is still to trust God; to take Him 
at His word. Read Isaiah 50:10: Let him trust in the name of 
Jehovah, and rely upon his God.” 

The unpardonable sin is the unrepentable sin. There is no 
limit to the infinite mercy of God. That does not mean that it 
is not dangerous to yield to sin. The danger is even greater than 
it would otherwise be. The human heart so easily gets accustomed 
to doing what is wrong that unconsciously it becomes hardened 
against the appeals of the Spirit of God. Therefore let this troubled 


194 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

soul say, “I will still have faith in God, I will learn the cause of 
my defeat, and I will yield myself anew to God, being more 
careful, more watchful, more zealous lest my feet slip.” 

The Christian Life. 

It must be joy to serve God with gladness, knowing 
that one’s life is cleansed from sin. But how such a condi¬ 
tion can be obtained I cannot understand. 

What if you cannot understand? Must you wait for that? 
You sow the seed in the ground; do you understand how soil 
and sunshine and moisture are transmuted into wheat and corn? 
Yet it is done. Do you wish to know the doctrine, the teachings, 
of Christ in yourself? Here is God’s answer through His Son: 
“If any man willeth to do His will, he shall \now of the teaching.” 
John 7:17. You can do that. You may choose God’s way, the 
self-denial, the humility of Christ, the giving up of all things to 
God, to be what He will make you, to do what He commands 
you to do. If you do that, believing Him to be in you all He has 
promised, you shall know the joy, the peace, the blessing, of life. 
Prove John 7:17, and believe Jesus Christ to be the way, the 
truth, the life, in you, your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
redemption. John 14:6; 1 Cor. 1:30. Believe, simply believe. 


Section XV 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

The First Church and Its Name. Acts 7:3 8. 

What was the name of the first church ? Did the church 
of which Christ was the cornerstone in Zion have any 
name? 

We do not know as God gave His church any definite name. 
“Congregation of the Lord” it is often called in the Old Testament. 
Deut. 23:3. We can go back to the beginning, and read, “Then 
began men to call themselves by the name of the Lord.” Gen. 
4:26, margin. In Genesis 6:2 they are called “the sons of God;” in 
Exodus 19:6, “a kingdom of priests,” a “holy nation.” In the 
New Testament this congregation, this nation, is called “the 
church in the wilderness.” Acts 7:38. 

The word “church” comes from e\\lesia, meaning something 
“called out.” Sometimes it is “the church of God,” sometimes 
“the church of Christ,” sometimes only “the church.” In Ephe¬ 
sians 1:23 and elsewhere these called-out ones are called the 
body of Christ; and in chapter 2:19, 20, “the household of 
God,” on which both prophets and apostles builded, Jesus Christ 
being the chief cornerstone. All these refer to “the church of the 
living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” 2 Tim. 3:15. Twice 
the term “Christian” is used. Acts 11:26; 26:28. One epistle is 
addressed, for instance, to “the church of the Thessalonians;” 
another, “to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are 
at Colosse;” another, “to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are 
at Philippi;” another, “to the saints which are at Ephesus;” another, 
to “the churches of Galatia;” another, “unto the church of God 
which is at Corinth;” another, “to all that be in Rome, beloved 
of God, called to be saints;” sometimes, “the church that is in 
their [or his] house.” 

From these and other passages, it is evident that the “church” 
dates from the time that souls responded to God’s call to come 


*95 


196 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

out from the world, and that God has given that church no definite, 
specific name. The true church of the living God centers in that 
body of believers which has the twofold witness of the Scriptures, 
and God’s law translated through Christ Jesus into the life. 


Belonging to a Church. 

Must we belong to the church called “The Church of 
Christ,” in order that we may be saved? I ask this in 
view of the fact that it says, “Neither is there salvation in 
any other: for there is none other name under heaven 
given among men, whereby we must be saved.” 

We are not saved by any correlation or combination of letters, 
whatever those letters may spell. “Name” in the Bible does not 
mean a mere word. It stands for character, and in this case stands 
for the personal character of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are 
many instances of this given in the Bible. Therefore when the 
child of God is baptized into the name of the Father, and into the 
name of the Son, and into the name of the Holy Spirit, it does 
not mean the mere pronouncing over them of these words; it 
means they are baptized into the very character of the Father, 
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit—the Father for righteousness 
in the place of our sins; the Son for self-emptying, self-denial, 
self-abnegation, that God may fill us; and the Holy Spirit for 
service. The Lord is not dependent upon any combination of men 
to save men. He does not save because we go through a certain 
particular form; He saves because the heart is yielded to Him, 
and He can come into that heart and make it His own living 
temple. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the 
whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose 
heart is perfect toward Him.” 2 Chron. 16:9. “By grace are ye 
saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of 
God.” Eph. 2:8. 

Simply calling ourselves Christians does not make us so, and 
to unite with a church that is called Christian does not make us 
Christians; and there are thousands and thousands of Christians 


197 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

who are not called denominationally by the name “Christian.” 
We need not worry about that at all. The Lord saves us when 
we give ourselves to Him, and accept of all that He gives us in 
Jesus Christ by faith. Then, of course, we will walk in His com¬ 
mandments. We will be baptized, we will obey because we have 
the spirit and the life of obedience; but that may lead us a long 
way from those churches which arrogate to themselves the name 
“Christian,” while they do not always follow the Master. The 
apostle Paul has stated the condition of salvation very clearly in 
i Corinthians 5:1-5, and we find it stated over and over again in 
many places; but never do we find it, “You shall take such and 
such a name in order to be saved.” 

"Rock” and "Stone.” Matt. 16:17-19. 

Will you please explain Matthew 16 : 17 - 19 , which reads 
as follows? “And Jesus answered and said unto him, 
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood 
hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father who is in 
heaven. And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and 
upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of 
Hades shall not prevail against it. I will give unto thee 
the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou 
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what¬ 
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 

In brief: Peter had just confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son 
of the living God. Jesus declared that that knowledge did not 
come through Peter or any other man, but that it was revealed of 
God. Then the Master proceeds to say, “Thou art Peter [Greek, 
petros, a stone], and upon this rock [Greek, petra\ I will build 
My church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” 
Upon that great truth of divine unfoldment, the revelation and 
life from above, the confession of that truth in Jesus Christ, would 
He build His church. It would not be a body of the flesh, as of 
literal Jews, but a spiritual body, born of God, having hold of the 
life beyond. John 1:12, 13; 3:3-5. Peter, believing, was a true, 
living stone (1 Peter 2:5) of that foundation Rock, Christ Jesus 


198 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

(i Cor. 3:11). The gates of Hades are the power, or authority, 
which sin and death hold over men. That power is forever broken 
in Christ Jesus. “Keys” are instruments which open doors. God 
chose Peter first to preach salvation by the gospel keys to both 
Jews and Gentiles. See Acts 2:14; 15:7-14; 10. But that this did 
not give the primacy to Peter is shown by the fact that James 
presided at the first apostolic council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:13-21); 
and the further fact that Peter was in no respect above Paul (Gal. 
2:1-11; 2 Cor. 11:5). The binding and loosing was the binding 
and loosing force of the message Peter and all the servants of God 
bore, according as it was rejected or accepted. To accept it was 
salvation and freedom; to reject it was bondage and destruction. 
The Bible illustration of this is found in Jeremiah’s commission. 
Compare Jer. 1:9, 10 with 18:7-10. The binding and loosing, 
the building and overthrowing, depended on the acceptance or 
rejection of the message. And so it was with Peter and all the 
apostles. John 20:23. Every true minister who preaches God’s 
true gospel bears the same power; and he who does not preach that 
true gospel, has not that power, whatever be his profession. 

Disfellowshiping a Member. 1 Cor. 5:11-13. 

Can a church disfellowship one without first laboring 
with him when such a one is willing to be labored with? 

And is such a one still a member of the church of God ? 

The business of a church is the business of her Lord,—to save 
life, not destroy it. It is the duty of the church of Christ to do all 
in her power to heal the spiritually sick, restore the spiritually 
lame, bind up the wounds made by Satan’s fiery darts; to strengthen 
the bruised reed, to fan the smoking flax into a flame. She has 
no right to disfellowship a member until she has exhausted every 
resource of her power to save him. When the church does that, 
and fails to help the wandering one, it is manifest to all that he 
leaves the church, not the church him. The action of the church 
is its recognition of this. 

Whether a man is a member of the church of God depends 


199 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

on his relation to Christ Jesus. If he has been baptized into Christ, 
he is a member of Christ’s body. If a church passes wrong judg¬ 
ment upon him, that does not afifect his connection with Christ. 
In spite of all wrong judgment of men, he may be “holden up: 
for God is able to make him stand.” Rom. 14:4. On the other 
hand, let the lost sheep come back to the fold. If he has sinned, 
let him confess and forsake his sin without any regard to what 
others have done or may do. If he does this truly, faithfully, whole¬ 
heartedly, condemning no others, accusing no others, excusing 
not himself, we know that God will receive him; and surely that 
church must be in a sad condition which will not gladly welcome 
the wanderer home. 

Baptism in History. 

What is the earliest practical date of baptism known 
among men since the days of Christ and His apostles, and 
by whom was baptism first practiced among those of 
Protestant faith? 

We do not question the statement often made that baptism 
has been practiced by believers in Christ from His day till the pres¬ 
ent time. Like the Sabbath, it was perverted by the rapidly apos¬ 
tatizing church. In Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia, article, “Bap¬ 
tism,” it is said that “there is not a dissenting voice in all the litera¬ 
ture of the Christian church for twelve hundred years” that “im¬ 
mersion was the act of baptism.” “Historians, and those who treat 
of the early liturgies, unite in the same testimony.” “The Oriental 
churches, Greek, Russian, Armenian, Coptic, and others, have al¬ 
ways practiced immersion, and allow nothing else for baptism.” 
“The Western churches also preserved the baptism of the New 
Testament for thirteen hundred years, and then gradually intro¬ 
duced pouring or sprinkling.” “Luther sought, against the tend¬ 
ency of the times, to restore immersion.” “Calvin was the first to 
assert that immersion was of no importance,” and he is thus 
quoted: “Whether the person who is baptized be wholly immersed, 
and whether thrice or once, or whether water be only poured or 


200 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

sprinkled upon him, is of no importance; churches ought to be 
left at liberty in this respect to act according to the difference of 
countries. The very word ‘baptize,’ however, signifies to immerse; 
and it is certain that immersion was the practice of the ancient 
church.”— Institutes, boo\ 4, chapter 15, section ig. 

Even in the Catholic Church, “the Council of Ravenna (1311) 
was the first to allow a choice between sprinkling and immersion.” 

The Baptists, who revived the true mode, appeared first in 
Switzerland in 1523. They were found in the years 1525-1530 with 
large churches, fully organized, in Southern Germany, Tyol, and 
in Middle Germany. “In all these places persecution made their 
lives bitter.” From these and other facts it is most probable that 
they existed long prior to these dates, and were composed in most 
cases of the descendants of those who refused to depart in the 
fourteenth century from Bible baptism. 

An important item will be found in the Review and Herald of 
Sept. 9, 1937, quoting from the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, of more 
than a century ago, telling of the Presbyterians’ uncertainty as to 
the mode of baptism. In 1643 they settled the matter for their 
church by the close vote of 25 for sprinkling as against 24 for 
immersion. 

Further material may be found in the section on Baptism of the 
“Source Book for Bible Students,” and in the Signs of the Times of 
March 16, 1937. 

How Often Celebrate the Lord’s Supper? 

If the Passover was a memorial yearly feast forever 
(Ex. 12:6, 14), and the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of 
Christ’s death (Luke 22:19), an d He is “our Passover” 

(1 Cor. 5:7, 8), do the words “as oft” in 1 Corinthians 
11:24, 25 mean any oftener than the Jews had been in the 
habit of observing their Passover? Is there any scriptural 
authority for observing it any oftener, or quarterly? 

The Passover marked the beginning of the Jewish sacred year. 
It was a memorial of their deliverance from Egypt as well as a 
type of Christ. But every other feast or fast of the year likewise 


201 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

pointed forward to Christ or His work. They came yearly, and 
definite times were appointed for their national observance, that 
there might be order. In meeting these types Christ wrought His 
work once for all. He did not continue the old Passover as the 
memorial of His death, but instituted an ordinance to commemo¬ 
rate the event, without any respect to the time. In fact, no time is 
mentioned in connection with its institution. The directions given 
by Paul to Gentile Christians made no reference to any definite 
time; or does he even allude to the time, but to the rite itself in 
i Corinthians 5:7. “As oft” certainly does not refer to definite or 
regular time. An instance of its use is found in Revelation 11:6, 
“as often as they will.” In meant, in connection with the Lord’s 
Supper, either daily, weekly, quarterly, yearly, or whatever time 
was agreed upon. Some students believe that Acts 2: 46 refers to 
a daily observance of the Lord’s Supper; others declare that Acts 
20:7 shows a weekly observance. We believe that it is safe to say 
that there was no stated time. 

Feet Washing. John 13:3-17. 

Please explain John 13 concerning feet washing. The 
Saviour, after washing the disciples’ feet, said: “If I then, 
your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also 
ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you 
an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” 

Was that to be observed by the disciples only in their 
time, or does it mean for all followers of Christ unto this 
present day? 

Why was the ordinance given? What was its object? Does the 
need exist now? 

There was strife among the disciples, Luke tells us, as to which 
should be the greatest. Some wanted to rule, and have the others 
serve them. Jesus the Master became an example of the lowliest 
of servants. 

The object of the ordinance was to teach them that in love’s 
kingdom the greatest did the most and best service, and the low¬ 
liest, too, if called for. “I am among you,” said He on another 
occasion, “as he that serveth.” He wanted to teach them their ab- 


202 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

solute equality as brethren, as sons of a common father, as servants 
of a common master, and each as servant to all. 

Is it not needed now? Is there not the same old strife as to who 
should be the greatest? If Christ’s instructions had been followed, 
we would never have had the orders and classes and castes in the 
church of Christ which now exist. Forever would Christ’s words 
have been true, “One is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are 
brethren.” 

There is no reason in the world, then, except human pride, why 
our Lord’s example should not be perpetuated; and the pride is 
not a reason, for it demands the continuance of the ordinance. 

Note that it was not a mere act of hospitality that Jesus per¬ 
formed, for Peter knew what that meant; but he did not know 
this act of our Lord. Verse 7. The real knowledge of its meaning 
would come only through spiritual enlightenment. It was neces¬ 
sary for Peter to take part in this, and so learn the lowly spirit of 
true service or he would separate from his Lord. Verse 8. 

Finally, there is no limitation of duration or place in the words 
of Christ: “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your 
feet, ye also ought [are obligated] to wash one another’s feet. For 
I have given you an example , that ye also should do as 1 have done 
to you. ... If ye know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them.” 
Verses 14-17. What would not the Sundaykeeper give for such 
evidence as this for Sunday observance! He would ask no more. 
He would deem it all-sufficient. Is it not sufficient for the perpetu¬ 
ation of feet washing, rightly called the “Ordinance of Humility” ? 

Secret Fraternal Organizations. John 18:20. 

What is your stand regarding secret fraternal organi¬ 
zations? Please give reasons both from a spiritual and 
a worldly viewpoint. 

From a worldly viewpoint wholly, there may be benefit in 
some of the secret organizations; but from the true Christian 
viewpoint there can be none, for the reason that in the church 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, according to 1 Corinthians 12, are found 
all the gifts and blessings that are necessary for His children. As 


203 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

expressed in the last verses of Ephesians i, that church is “the 
fullness of Him that filleth all in all.” Why should Christians 
turn from God’s great reservoir which He has placed in this earth, 
and which is connected with the great Living Fountain, to the 
corrupted pools of this world? 

Secondly, Jesus said, “I spake openly to the world; . . . and 
in secret have I said nothing.” John 18:20. He had no blessing, 
no truth, no secrets, but that He was willing that the whole world 
should share and receive benefit of. He told His disciples to tell 
in the light and from the house tops the things they had learned in 
private. Matt. 10:27. They were not held for money or emolu¬ 
ments of any kind. The mysteries of the gospel of the Lord Jesus 
Christ were always to them who would submit themselves to Him. 
Not so with the fraternal organizations; they endeavor to hold the 
very best things which they may possess, many of which are utterly 
worthless even, to the members alone. 

Thirdly, the admonition to the church of Christ is, “As we have 
opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and 
especially toward them that are of the household of the faith.” 
Gal. 6:10. Fraternal organizations carry out that in part; they have 
regard for their own household, but wherever tests come, all those 
without must suffer. Then too, there are the oaths; the extrajudi¬ 
cial oaths and vows that men are called to take upon themselves 
regarding that of which they know nothing, but which is in many 
cases to be afterward revealed. This is utterly out of harmony with 
the gospel. From a worldly viewpoint, it is questionable indeed, 
honeycombed as society now is with fraternal organizations, 
whether there is as much benefit in a fraternal organization as there 
is in money which is carefully saved and properly invested. 

Fourthly, that there are sincere believers in Christ who are mem¬ 
bers of secret orders we would not for a moment deny; but to us it 
seems that they have an erroneous idea of true benevolence as ex¬ 
ercised in these secret orders, and they also have a very low con¬ 
ception of the breadth, scope, work, and spirit which ought to be 
in and actuate the church of Christ. To turn from the church of 
Christ, from true union with Christ, to any lodge or organization, 


204 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

is like turning from the cool-flowing, life-giving waters of the 
mountain to the brackish waters stored in the broken cisterns of 
men. 

Bread for Communion Service. 

1. Should sponge cake be used at the Lord’s Supper? 

2. What kind of bread is used? 

3. What kind of wine should be used. 

1. No, sponge cake should not be used. 

2. Different kinds of bread are used, some of which ought not 
to be used. Only unleavened bread should be used. There should 
be no leaven or fermentation connected with the Lord’s Supper. 

3. Unfermented wine alone should be used, the pure juice of 
the grape. This can be made and preserved in the fruit season the 
same as other fruit juices and fruit in general. Unfermented wine 
is usually procurable at any grocery or drug store. Where this can¬ 
not be procured, clean, good raisins may be boiled and the juice 
strained out. 

The Gift of Tongues. 1 Corinthians 14. 

Please explain the subject of the gift of tongues, as 
found in 1 Corinthians 14. What does it mean by saying, 

“In the Spirit he speaketh mysteries”? 

Among the gifts of God recorded in the twelfth chapter of 
1 Corinthians are mentioned “divers kinds of tongues” and “the 
interpretation of tongues.” A “tongue” that is a gift of the Spirit 
of God is an intelligible thing. It speaks intelligently, whether 
the individuals who are listening may understand it or not. The 
individual who is talking knows what he says, and is saying some¬ 
thing in some language known to earth. 

A very clear illustration of the Spirit’s gift of tongues is recorded 
in the second chapter of Acts. There were in Jerusalem, on the 
day of Pentecost,—doubtless most of them having been drawn 
there to attend the Jewish feast,—people of all nationalities, and 
the holy city was stirred because of the events connected with 
the crucifixion of Christ. The story of the cross must be told, and 


205 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

must be understood by all these various nationalities; and when 
the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the text says: 
“They were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, 
Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear 
we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 
Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Meso¬ 
potamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 
Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about 
Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and 
Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful 
works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, 
saying one to another, What meaneth this?” Acts 2:7-12. 

Now that gift of tongues on that occasion, which is an illustra¬ 
tion of God’s plan, shows intelligence. It shows a need for that 
particular gift at that particular time, and it shows the people 
listening to the gospel, and understanding “the wonderful works 
of God” as they were presented. 

There are people who claim to have the gift of tongues, but 
there is no intelligence connected with it. It is an unintelligible 
jargon. It is one of the deceptive counterfeits that Satan is foist¬ 
ing upon the world, with which to delude and destroy people. In 
the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians, note that after enumerating 
the various gifts, the apostle says, “But all these worketh that one 
and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He 
will.” These gifts are bestowed upon individuals who will appro¬ 
priately and intelligently use them, and as the need arises for 
such gifts. Otherwise they would not be given. They are not to 
be seized by individuals, and exercised upon their own authority 
or in harmony with their own whims. 

Study closely all that God’s word says in regard to God’s gifts, 
and you will not be led astray. God is seeking continually to reveal 
the mysteries of His truth; and He asks us to base our faith upon 
mysteries that have actually been revealed, and not upon some 
mysterious something that no one can understand. God’s people 
will ever be studying into the unfolding mysteries of His great 
truth; but their faith is based upon what they understand, and 


14 


206 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

not upon something that is ever bewildering. There is something 
divinely dignified in the gifts of God, and they carry convincing 
power to intelligent people. 

Darkness and Light. 

I understand that the gospel as brought to view by 
Christ and His apostles in the first centuries and recorded 
in the Bible was covered up during the Dark Ages, and 
began again to be revealed at the commencement of the 
Reformation. What was the first light brought out, and 
when, and by whom? Was it justification by faith? And 
did later Reformers take up the same and carry it on 
through with them, or did they reject it? 

No, it is not true that the gospel was wholly hidden during 
the Dark Ages. There were faithful followers of God who kept 
it alive in their own hearts through all that darkened time. There 
were those, like the Waldenses and others, out in the wilderness 
and among the mountains, who were loyal to God, and who had 
His word. There were those even in monks’ cells, in the convents, 
among the priests of Rome, who had access to the Bible, and were 
faithful to it as far as they saw it. Of course, a mighty impulse 
was given to this in the time of the Reformation. Previous to 
that time, men had been stirred to study the Bible. Wycliffe’s 
translation had been made, and portions of the Bible were trans¬ 
lated by others. When printing was invented, that gave a great 
impetus to the spread of the gospel. Then followed other trans¬ 
lations. 

It is quite impossible to say just when or by whom or what 
was the first phase of the gospel developed, when there was more 
or less of it developed all the way. There were numberless men 
in the Roman Catholic Church who stood for the truth of God. 
Some of them went down to martyrdom. Others remained. The 
great message of the Reformation in Germany especially was 
justification by faith. 

The great mistake made by many of the Protestant sects was 
that of trying to crystallize what they believed into a creed. It is 
impossible for human words to express the infinite truth of God; 


207 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 

and just as soon as men tried to define what God’s word taught, 
they limited the word, and limited the faith of those who would 
accept the creed. Of course, there were always those within the 
creed-bound church who believed out beyond the creed, and whose 
faith ignored man’s framing of God’s truth, who saw greater 
light in the word of God, and consequently rebelled against the 
creed, separated themselves from the creed-bound body, gathered 
around them other followers, and sometimes made the same 
mistake over again—formed another creed. 

That has been one of the great hindrances to Protestantism. 
If the word of God had been allowed to “have free course, 
and be glorified,” and men had rallied around that,—the word 
and the word alone,—union would have come instead of the 
discord we see at the present time. Man’s hope of preventing 
discord and divisions has resulted in only greater confusion. 

There is very little difference among the creeds of Protestants, 
and it is growing less and less all the time. Of course, the Baptists 
have one phase of truth to which they hold, some of them ten¬ 
aciously and loyally; namely, baptism. Some of the “modernists” 
among them are yielding even that. There are books on religions 
which will give the various creeds of churches. It is impossible 
even to indicate them here. 

Questions on Healing. 

How are we to be healed? by medicine, or by chiro¬ 
practic, osteopathic, and other worldly doctoring? Did 
Christ use medicine or drugs of any kind ? He taught His 
disciples to heal through fasting and prayer. Now if we 
can be healed by prayer, what is the use of sending for 
a doctor or building sanitariums and hospitals? 

On this question of healing, many persons seem to think that 
the infinite God should stand as their orderly servant, and when¬ 
ever anything is the matter with them, they should order Him 
to heal them at once, and expect Him to do so. The Bible teaches 
divine healing. It plainly says that “the prayer of faith shall save 
the sick.” But when Christ was here Himself, having anointed 


208 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the eyes of a blind man with clay, He told him to go wash in the 
Pool of Siloam; and he went and washed, and returned seeing. 
And when Naaman the leper came to Elisha to be cured of his 
disease, Elisha told him to go and bathe in the river Jordan. 

Luke, one of the apostles of Christ, according to Colossians 4:14, 
was also “the beloved physician.” Then they had a doctor right 
among the early disciples (though Luke was not numbered among 
the twelve), and he was commended by the apostle Paul. If a man 
has a broken limb, the sensible thing for him to do is to go to a 
reputable surgeon and have it properly set; or if he has any other 
ailment that the science of the physician can remedy, he should 
avail himself of his services; and it is the privilege of the afflicted 
one at the same time to pray earnestly for the blessing of God upon 
the remedies that the skill of the physician provides. 

To be sure, there are many quacks and impostors among 
medical men, the same as there are in all other professions; but 
the true physician is working in harmony with God, the Author 
of nature. When an individual is out of reach of a physician, or 
when his case is beyond the skill of the physician, the cases are 
numerous where God has directly interposed, and healed the 
individual. 

God gives us the privilege of coming to Him, and availing 
ourselves of divine power to heal our diseases. He “healeth all 
thy diseases,” and the word is full of promises of that character. 
But God also gives us common sense, and He expects us to use 
that in connection with divine healing. 

Judas. 

Please explain about Judas. Could he help sinning, 
when it was according to the Scripture? And will he be 
lost for doing so, or did he repent? 

God’s foreknowledge does not mean God’s foreordination. 
God’s foreordination only takes in the characters of the holy. He 
marks out those, predestinates those, and calls men to those char¬ 
acters; and so He called Judas, so He gave Judas the greatest 


THE CHURCH; ITS ORDINANCES 


209 


opportunity in the world of developing a character under the 
instruction of the holiest teacher that earth could ever know. But 
Judas rejected all these things, and cherished the thought of selfish¬ 
ness, which molded the character that he had. It was Christ’s own 
compassion which led Him to give Judas the opportunity; and 
when he killed himself out of despair and remorse, in that death 
he went “to his own place.” Acts 1:25. It is for this reason that 
Jesus calls him “the son of perdition,”—that is, the son of utter 
destruction. 

That Judas might have done differently is shown in the very 
fact of his acknowledging his wrong after the deed was wrought. 
He evidently thought that Christ would release Himself, that 
Christ by His mighty power would not suffer Himself to be taken; 
and so he used the power of Christ to trade on, in order that he 
might get gain from it. Yet he had opportunity to repent of all 
his plans, right up to the very time, almost, of their consumma¬ 
tion. It is often true that men who do the greatest sins against 
God are forced by the Spirit of God, insincere though they are, to 
confess at the very last, in order that God’s cause may be vindicated. 
See Matt. 27:3-10. 

Woman’s Appearance in Public. 

Will you kindly comment on 1 Corinthians 11:5, 6, 10, 

13, and also on 1 Corinthians 14:34,35? 

If we could place ourselves in Corinth in the time of the apostle, 
we should see much reason for his instruction which does not 
exist now. Corinth was one of the wickedest cities, if not the 
wickedest, in the apostle’s day. Its position and commerce brought 
to it every form of idolatry and corruption, and licentious men and 
wanton women from all the world. In the language of that time, to 
“Corinthianize” was to play the wanton. There were idolatrous 
women, priestesses, devoted religiously to lives of abandon. They 
appeared in public with disheveled hair and frantic actions. The 
best classes of women, Jewish, Roman, and Greek, appeared in 
public veiled. 


210 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

It is a fact that God’s Spirit rested upon women in all ages, and 
they prophesied, talked, witnessed, sang, for Him. See Ex. 15:20, 
21; Judges 4:4, 5; 5:1; 2 Kings 22:14-20; Joel 2:28, 29; Luke 
2:36-38; Acts 18:26; 21:9. It was therefore perfectly right for 
women to speak in a proper way in public. 

What the apostle taught was that the women in the Corinthian 
church should not go uncovered, like the shameless women of 
the world, or do anything that would not show just regard for 
the Lord’s order. Some of them seem to have failed in this respect, 
and disorder was rampant. Different countries and different 
customs would have demanded different instruction. We may 
be sure that if the apostle were talking to unwise women living 
in a city or country where the shameless ones and wantons wore 
veils, and respectable women went unveiled, save in native and 
becoming modesty, he would give different instruction. 

The basis of all his instruction is found just before in his letter 
(there were no chapters or divisions in it till modern times): 
“Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31. In 
all things, Christian women should by their modesty and deport¬ 
ment commend the gospel of Christ. 

Regarding 1 Corinthians 14:34,35 there is help in the suggestion 
that the apostle is answering an objector who has uttered verses 
34, 35. The apostle answers this objection: “What? came the 
word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?” Surely he 
would not forbid women to speak when he had just before given 
instruction as to how they should appear in public. 


Section XVI 


MISCELLANEOUS 


Election. 

Will you kindly explain the following texts of Scrip¬ 
ture? Do not these scriptures plainly set forth the fact 
that the destiny of every soul was fixed before they were 
born into the world, even before the foundation of the 
world? Rom. 9:18-23; 8:28-30. 

The whole question of election is not difficult to understand 
if we will remember certain principles. But first let us say this: 
That the destiny of every soul is not fixed is shown clearly by 
2 Peter 1:10, “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to 
make your calling and election sure.” If a person’s case were 
irrevocably fixed, how could he consistently be exhorted to make 
it sure? How could we understand such scriptures as Hebrews 
3:14, “We are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the 
beginning of our confidence firm unto the end,” and Matthew 
24:13, “He that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved”? 

The important thing which God regards is character. That is 
more precious to Him than all else. The names written in the 
Lamb’s book of life from before the foundation of the world 
(Rev. 13:8) are names of characters. To those various characters, 
God calls the children of this earth. To one of those characters, 
God called Cain. Character stands written in the book of life 
from the beginning. Cain failed, however, and someone else was 
called in to take his place. This is quite evident from Revelation 
3:11, “Hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy 
crown.” Certainly God would not thus warn us unless there 
were danger. 

In the light of these principles, all the texts may be harmonized; 
as, for instance, Romans 9:18-23. In this scripture is set forth God’s 
sovereign power, His right to do, His long-suffering and kindness. 
It does not mean that Pharaoh was born for the purpose of destruc- 


211 


212 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

tion, but God brought him to the throne in order that He might 
show His power and glory through him. Pharaoh had the privilege 
of having the Lord’s power and glory shown by his being obedient 
to God and helpful to God’s people, just as Nebuchadnezzar did. 
He would not do it, and therefore he went down under the mighty 
hand of God. Yet equally the glory and power of God were shown. 

Romans 8:28-30 simply shows this,—that God is able to carry 
through to the very end all those who will yield to Him and sub¬ 
mit to His plans and ways. Looked upon in the right way, election 
is a very comforting matter indeed; looked upon in the wrong 
way, it is discouraging. 


Cruelty of David. 2 Sam. 12:29-31. 

Explain why David was so cruel. 2 Sam. 12:29-31. 

Has any church a right to do likewise? 

The American Revised Version, on verse 31, reads as follows: 
“And he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them 
under saws, and under harrows of iron, and under axes of iron, 
and made them pass through the brick kiln: and thus did he 
unto all the cities of the children of Ammon.” Some commentators 
believe that while this was very cruel, yet it was almost justified by 
the cruelty and wickedness of the Ammonites. But we cannot 
justify ourselves by any mistakes that anyone has made in the 
past. David did wrong when he caused the death of Uriah the 
Hittite, but that does not excuse us; and he did a very wrong 
thing when he committed adultery with Bath-sheba, but that is 
no excuse for us. 

There are others who contend that the translation above is not 
a right translation, that, instead of putting them “under saws,” 
it should be translated “to the saw.” So Young translates, “And 
the people who are in it he hath brought out, and setteth to the 
saw, and to cutting instruments of iron, and to axes of iron,” etc. 
That is, he set them to laboring at that kind of work—made them 
servants, so to speak. Spurred renders, “And he brought forth the 


MISCELLANEOUS 


213 


people who were therein, and set them to serve with saws, and 
with harrows of iron, and with axes of iron, and caused them to 
pass under service in the brickkiln.” Boothroyd renders, “And 
he brought forth the people that were therein, and put them to 
saws, and to harrows of iron, and under axes of iron,” etc., and 
then defends at some length this rendering, and utterly repudiates 
the idea of representing David as sawing and harrowing and 
chopping and burning the Ammonites. He contends that here, 
as in i Chronicles 20:3, the words imply that David put them to 
the saw, and sentenced them to other hard works of slavery; and 
he refers to the Latin translation as a justification of this. 

The “Companion Bible,” in a note on verse 31, tells us that 
“under” is “equivalent to ‘with,’ especially to ‘work with.’ The 
Hebrew letter ‘beth,’ prefixed as a preposition, is equivalent to ‘in,’ 
‘within,’ ‘with.’ When the preposition ‘under’ is equivalent to 
‘beneath,’ then it is either a part of a verb, or one of four distinct 
words. . . . ‘Beth,’ when translated ‘under,’ is only in the sense 
of ‘within,’ as ‘under (or within the shelter of) the wing,’ or ‘under 
(or within) the earth.’ Otherwise, used with a tool, or weapon, or 
instrument, it always means ‘with.’ See ‘with an ax’ (Deut. 19:5; 
Jer. 10:3); ‘with axes’ (Jer. 46:22; Ezek. 26:9; Ps. 74:6); ‘with 
nails and with hammers’ (Jer. 10:4),” etc. On “pass through the 
brickkiln,” he says: “ ‘Pass through,’ equivalent to ‘pass by,’ or 
‘before,’ the Hebrew abar, as in Ezekiel 37:2; 46:21; Deuteronomy 
2:30; Exodus 33:19; 1 Samuel 16:8, 9, 10, etc. ‘Brickkiln,’ equiva¬ 
lent to brickwork; hence, brick pavement or paved area (Revised 
Version, margin). Not brickkiln; no brickkilns in Palestine. All 
bricks there are sun-dried. Only once spoken of as burnt—as 
being a strange thing (Gen. 11:3 and margin). Hebrew malben 
occurs only here, Jeremiah 43:9, and Nahum 3:14, the former at 
‘entry’ of royal palace, the latter said to be ‘fortified.’ Both out of 
the question, and quite incongruous for a brickkiln. The very 
paved area of Jeremiah 43:9 was discovered at Tahpanhes by 
Flinders Petrie in 1886, where Nebuchadnezzar did exactly what 
David did here and in chapter 8:2 and in 1 Chronicles 20:3. ‘Thus 
did he,’ that is, as in 2 Samuel 8:2, with Moab, so here; he caused 


214 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

the captives to pass by before him, he seated on a pavement of 
brickwork, or paved area, where he appointed them to the various 
departments of labor for which they were suited. Compare Jer. 
43:9-11. These were the ‘strangers’ (that is, foreigners) and the 
‘abundance of workmen’ referred to in 1 Chronicles 22:2, 15.” 
This will certainly show that David was not cruel, but rather kind, 
to a nation that had been so wicked as had the Ammonites. But 
even if David had been so, that certainly would be no excuse for 
any church to do likewise. David was engaged in regular war 
between nations; but religious persecutions have almost invariably 
been for conscience’ sake, against an utterly inoffending class, who 
were simply doing what they believed God wanted them to do in 
the way of teaching and believing. And God has not committed 
that judgment to man. See John 12:47, 48- 


Salvation of Children. 

1. Does the Bible teach that all children of godly 
parents under the age of accountability, or the age of 
deciding for themselves, will be saved ? 

2. If so, are they included in the 144,000 of the last 
generation ? 

3. Is it possible for a mother alone to meet outside in¬ 
fluences and train her children aright without Sabbath 
school or church privileges? 

1. The Bible does not deal, in its conditions, with those not 
responsible; but the affirmative to the first question, it seems to 
us, is self-evident. See Deut. 30:19; 1 Cor. 7:14. If children have 
not sinned against God, surely He will not hold them responsible. 
Jesus saves all from Adam’s sin irrespective of character. Children 
have no sins of their own to condemn them. Will not the blood 
of Christ avail for them? We may safely leave all these things 
with God. 

2. In the opinion of the writer, no. The 144,000 will have had 
an especial experience which children could not have. These 
children and others may stand with this representative company, 


MISCELLANEOUS 


215 


but not be numbered with them. In other Bible numberings, 
women and children are not included in the numbers, yet they 
stand with those numbered. 

3. No, it is not possible for a mother alone to train her children 
for God, whatever the surroundings; but united with God, she 
has all power. It takes more than mortal power to save and mold 
the souls of children. First of all, let the mother give her children 
to God; then let her with Him train them for Him, prayerfully, 
perseveringly, hopefully. 

Then if she does not have public Sabbath school and church 
privileges, she may have both within her home, at which she may 
be assured of heavenly attendants. 

"The Kingdom of Heaven Suffereth Violence.” 

Please explain Matthew 11:12: “From the days of John 
the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth 
violence, and the violent take it by force.” 

The teaching is clear that when John came and began to preach 
his tremendous gospel of repentance, there was mighty earnest¬ 
ness manifested by those who heard. Men were strenuous in their 
effort to make things right and enter the kingdom. Some evidently 
were feeling that unless such effort was put forth, they would not 
be saved. “The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence,” or, as the 
margin reads, “is gotten by force,”—not that men were slain, or 
that this violence was put forth against men. It was not mani¬ 
fested in strife. Those who accepted the Lord Jesus had calmer, 
sweeter rest in place of strife. 

Gifts and Invitation Without Repentance. 

What is meant by Romans 11:29: “The gifts and call¬ 
ing of God are without repentance”? 

Simply this: God is never sorry for doing any good thing. 
He calls every sinner to come to Him. He bestows His gifts upon 
the good and the bad. Some of these gifts are slighted, neglected, 
rejected, even by His own children; but God is not sorry that He 


216 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

gave them. Men repent of their gifts many times. We hear a 
man saying he is sorry he did something for such a one, or that 
he did something else for another one, because they have never 
been even grateful for it. You hear women regretting that they 
ever invited, or “called,” someone who slighted their invitation. 
But that is not the true spirit of giving, after all. The soul who 
gives rightly, who has the true spirit of giving, is more blessed 
than the receiver, however he regards it; for it is the Master Him¬ 
self who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” 

"Voice” and "Sound.” Acts 9:7; 22:9. 

Compare Acts 9:7 with Acts 22:9. Both passages relate 
to the same event, namely, the conversion of Saul. In the 
latter, Saul is relating the events leading to his conversion 
as mentioned in Acts 9:7, and says, “They heard not the 
voice;” while the passage in Acts 9:7 reads, “Hearing a 
voice.” 

This is one of the apparently contradictory passages of the 
Bible which are not contradictory at all if we but take into con¬ 
sideration the widely diversified use of words. “Voice” is used 
simply of the sound, and also of what it utters. The men who 
journeyed with Paul heard the sound, but did not understand 
anything the voice said. The margin of the Revised Version 
renders “sound” instead of “voice” in Acts 9:7. The “voice” was 
to them a mere “sound.” In Acts 22:9, Paul is speaking of what 
the voice said. Those who were with him “beheld indeed the 
light, but they heard not the voice;” that is, they did not understand 
it, they did not grasp the words. Paul heard not only the sound, 
but he heard what the voice said. The “sound” was to Paul a clear 
“voice.” 

This is well illustrated by John 12:28, 29: “There came there¬ 
fore a voice out of heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and 
will glorify it again. The multitude therefore, that stood by, and 
heard it, said that it had thundered: others said, An angel hath 
spoken to Him.” Some of them heard only an indistinct sound, 
like thunder; others knew that words were spoken. Jesus Himself 


MISCELLANEOUS 


217 


heard the very words that were said. Looking upon them in 
this way, we see there is no contradiction between the two accounts 
of Saul’s experience. Rotherham also renders “sound” in the 
margin of Acts 9:7. Boothroyd renders Acts 9:7, “And the men 
who journeyed with him remained silent, hearing a sound, but 
seeing no man;” and Acts 22:9, "And those that were with me 
saw indeed the light, and were afraid, but they heard not the 
words of Him that spoke to me.” 

"Caught Away Philip.” Acts 8:39. 

Will you please give the correct rendering of the 
original word or words, “caught away Philip”? Acts 
8:39. 

This expression is rendered by various commentators, “The 
angel of the Lord snatched away Philip.” “The Critical and Ex¬ 
planatory Commentary” remarks: “To deny the miraculous nature 
of Philip’s disappearance is vain. It stands out on the face of the 
words, as just a repetition of what we read of the ancient prophets, 
in 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16. And the same word (as Bengel 
remarks) is employed to express a similar idea in 2 Corinthians 
12:2, 4; 1 Thessalonians 4:17. . . . Philip was found at Azotus 
—‘found himself,’ ‘made his appearance,’ an expression confirm¬ 
ing the miraculous manner of his transportation.” “The Bible 
Commentary” says: “The work of conversion having been com¬ 
pleted by baptism, this miraculous withdrawal of the evangelist 
confirmed the Ethiopian’s assurance of the divine mission of 
his teacher. . . . The Alexandrian MS. subjoins, ‘And the Spirit 
of the Lord fell upon the eunuch, but the angel of the Lord 
snatched away Philip.’ ” 

Sin and Crime. 

What is the difference between sin and crime? Is not 
a criminal a sinner? 

There is a vast difference between sin and crime. A crime 
may or may not be sinful, and a sin may or may not be criminal. 


218 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

“Sin is the transgression of the law,” says the inspired word; 
that is, it is the transgression of God’s law, and pertains not alone 
to outward deed or act, but to the spirit, thought, motive, intent, 
of the sinner. “The law is spiritual,” says the apostle, and there¬ 
fore may be transgressed in the realm of thought and motive. 
Not only is he a murderer who \ills his brother, but he is a murderer 
who hates his brother. See i John 3:15. Adultery includes cher¬ 
ished lust. See Matt. 5:27, 28. This is sin. 

Crime is transgression of civil law. If there were no law in 
this country against murder, to kill would not be a crime; but it 
would be a grievous sin, even as hatred is, which the civil law 
cannot prohibit. God’s law says, “Thou shalt not covet.” To 
transgress it is sin; but civil law could not prevent coveting. Civil 
law cannot, therefore, make sin a crime; it can only regulate the 
outward act. 

It was a crime for the three Hebrew young men to refuse to 
bow down to the golden image set up by Nebuchadnezzar (see 
Daniel 3), but it was not sin; in fact, for them to bow down would 
have been sin. It was not sin for Daniel to pray to God, but the 
law of Persia made it a crime. See Daniel 6. Jesus Christ died 
a criminal, so did Paul, so has the great host of martyrs; but they 
were not counted sinners in God’s sight. 

The Word "Worlds ” Heb. 1:1, 2. 

Does not Hebrews 1:1, 2 show that there are other 
worlds? 

The Greek word from which “worlds” comes in Hebrews 
1 :i, 2 and 11:3 is aidn, meaning “age.” If you will trace the word 
by means of a concordance, you will find it could be rendered 
thus in every instance of its occurrence in the New Testament. 
It is found in Matthew 13:39, “The harvest is the end of the 
world,” or “age,” and Matthew 28:20, “Lo, I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world”—“age.” Of course, we know 
that the end of the world, or earth, does not come in either of 
these cases. What is meant is that we come to that period of earth’s 


MISCELLANEOUS 


219 


history where a great change takes place. And so it was through 
Christ that God constituted the ages, and by faith we understand 
that those ages have been marked out, or designated, or consituted. 
There is other very strong inferential proof which amounts almost 
to a demonstration that there are other worlds in the universe, 
but that fact is not stated in so many words. There is a wonderful 
amount of truth which will come to those who study the plan 
of God in the light of the ages. 

Do All Have a "Chance” for Eternal Life? 

Is it not taught that millions of the race have died 
without God and without hope in the world? that they 
have never heard the gospel, or heard of the name of 
Jesus? How can their condemnation be just, if they have 
never had a chance for eternal life? 

Not one single intelligent soul has lived upon this earth since 
time began but has had sufficient to save him if he would but 
grasp it. The nineteenth psalm and the tenth chapter of Romans 
are clear proof of this, as well as the first chapter of Romans. 
Millions have died without hope and without God; but it was 
because they put God far away, and would not cherish the hope. 
The invisible things of God are seen in the visible. 

The fact that God is a God of infinite power and wisdom, as 
revealed in His works, to the logical, thoughtful mind, demon¬ 
strates that He is a God of power and of love. Jesus Christ is the 
true light that “lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” 
To every soul there comes some ray of light. This is shown in 
the experience of missionaries who have found heathen in the 
darkest lands living up to all the light they had. It is not knowl¬ 
edge that saves; it is love and loyalty. “The eyes of Jehovah run 
to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong 
in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” They 
may be heathen who are guilty of many sins of ignorance; but 
if their heart is perfect toward the little light they have, that light 
is sufficient to save. 


220 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

One ray of light followed leads to the center of light. One ray 
of light from the throne of God followed will lead to God and 
His salvation. Our English name of Jesus may not be known. 
The thought is not the name, but the character. That man who 
has truly grasped the government of God, who sees the bearing 
of the law of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ, who knows the 
love of God, knows that the Lord will and has left all without 
excuse. The idiots, the irresponsible, will die; but the responsible 
ones will have to give an account of the light which they have 
had; and every Christian ought to do all in his power to let the 
light, more light, shine. 

The Wicked; the ''Narrow Way.” 

1. What will become of all earth’s billions of ignorant 
wicked ? 

2. Why did God create the “narrow way” (difficult 
way) so obscure that few find it; and of the few who do, 
but a small proportion run to “the end of the race” for 
the prize? 

1. Those who are “willingly ignorant,” who are satisfied with 
themselves, will perish with that which they have chosen. Prov. 
1:24-33. Those who receive the light, and follow the light, with 
all the heart, even though it is but the faintest ray, will have a 
part in “the inheritance of the saints in light.” Col. 1:12. God 
gives light enough to every man to lead him to salvation. He 
“lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” John 1:9. It is 
not the amount of light that saves, it is how man uses or treats 
that light. 

2. God has not created the “narrow way” obscure to those who 
wish to know. Here is an infallible test: "// any man will do 
His will, he shall \now of the doctrine.” John 7:17. “The secret 
of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will show them 
His covenant.” Ps. 25:14. “The meek will He guide in judg¬ 
ment: and the meek will He teach His way.” Verse 9. But man 
cannot walk this way in his own strength; and the majority, in 
their pride, will not accept God’s power. If they would but do 


MISCELLANEOUS 


221 


it, there is no such thing as fail; for “there is nothing too hard” 
for God. Jer. 32:17. All rests in the choice, the submission, the 
trust, of the sinner. To the true follower of Christ, the narrow 
way is the delightful way. 

"Man Proposes; God Disposes.” 

Exodus 10:29 sa y s that Moses said to Pharaoh, “Thou 
hast spoken well; I will see thy face again no more;” and 
Exodus 12:31 says that Pharaoh called for Moses and 
Aaron by night, and they came to him. Is not this a 
plain contradiction? 

No; Moses meant that he would not call upon Pharaoh or 
seek an interview with him again. Again and again Moses had 
gone to Pharaoh himself to ask him to let God’s people go. Pharaoh 
dismissed him abruptly, and told him not to come again, and 
Moses said that he would not. That is all that is implied in his 
words. Moses simply meant that so far as he was concerned, he 
would not again seek the face of Pharaoh. Moses was not giving 
a prophecy of the future; he was simply stating his purpose as 
God’s servant. There is a possibility, of course, of his being mis¬ 
taken; but so far as his own will was concerned, and his own 
choice, he would not see Pharaoh again. When he did see the 
king again, it was because he was especially sent for by the king. 
The king sought Moses, and not Moses the king. When Moses 
said, “I will see thy face again no more,” God’s work for Pharaoh 
in those respects was over. 

"Sabaoth.” James 5:4. 

Why is “sabaoth” spelled in this way in James 5:4? 

Does it mean the same as “Sabbath”? 

No; this is a different word from “Sabbath.” “Sabaoth” is a 
Hebraism, and means hosts . The expression here conveys the 
thought that the Lord of all the hosts in heaven and earth is the 
guardian and avenger of the poor who are oppressed by the grasp¬ 
ing rich. 


15 


222 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

The Third Heaven. 2 Cor. 12:2. 

What is the third heaven spoken of in 2 Corinthians 
12:2? I had always supposed that there was but one 
heaven. What are the other two ? 

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 makes clear that the third heaven is the 
place where God dwells. The apostle was caught up to the third 
heaven; and giving further explanation of it, he says that he 
was caught up to Paradise, and heard words which it is not 
possible (margin) for a man to utter. In Revelation 2:7, we are 
told the tree of life is in the midst of the Paradise of God; and 
in the twenty-second chapter of Revelation, we are told that the 
river of life proceeds from the throne of God, and that on either 
side of the river is the tree of life. Putting these texts together, 
we learn that Paradise is where the tree of life is, and that the tree 
of life is on either side of the river of life, which proceeds from 
the throne of God. So it would seem very plain, from these scrip¬ 
tures, that the third heaven, or the Paradise of God, is the place 
where God Himself dwells. 

There have been a great many speculations concerning the 
heavens. The Jews had a list of seven heavens; the Mohammedans 
also have the same. The Scriptures, as shown in the foregoing, 
are quite clear in telling that the third heaven is where the throne 
of God is, but they make no mention of anything beyond that. 
Nor do they make mention of a first and a second heaven, and 
therefore they do not specifically tell what God regards the first 
and the second heaven to be. But in the first chapter of Genesis, 
it is stated that “in the beginning God created the heaven and the 
earth,” also that He made the firmament. It has been usually 
considered, by Bible students, that passages of this character refer 
to the first and the second heaven, or to the atmosphere that 
surrounds this earth, as the first heaven, and then the planets of 
our system, and possibly the nearer stars, as forming the second 
heaven, while the third heaven is the place in His great universe 
where God Himself dwells. This distinction, however, cannot 
be based upon definite Scripture statements which say in just 


MISCELLANEOUS 


223 


so many words what the first and the second heaven are; but 
we do have the foregoing clear Scripture teaching as to what the 
third heaven is. What God has so clearly revealed is the thing 
that we should accept and dwell upon, and there may not be 
particular value in speculating upon what He has not revealed. 

Men have brought endless and useless discussions and strifes 
into the Christian world by trying to teach doctrines which could 
not be found plainly revealed in the Sacred Book. 

Jacob and Esau. 

I cannot understand why God should love Jacob better 
than Esau, for Jacob and his mother were deceitful, and 
told a lie. Why should God bless him more than Esau? 

We do not know how many lies Esau told. The Lord does 
not tell us that. It has been Satan’s special object to get God’s 
people to commit sin. This has ever been true; and the devil 
must have planned pre-eminently to destroy Jacob, the one through 
whom the promised Seed should come. 

But it is worth while to know that in the great choice which 
the two brothers made—an eternal choice, a choice involving 
eternal character—unconverted though Jacob was, he stood for 
God’s plan. The birthright was everything. Esau was willing to 
sell it for a mess of pottage. Jacob longed for it above everything 
else; and, being unconverted, he was willing to use any worldly 
means he could to secure it. We find, however, his humble and 
heartfelt repentance following. As he returned from Syria and 
met Esau, he could tell the Lord that he was unworthy of the 
least of all His mercies. In his wrestling with the Angel at the 
ford Jabbok, the heart of Jacob was emptied and yielded to God 
forever; and as a result, we find the change of his name, indicative 
of the change of character. No longer should his name be called 
Jacob, the supplanter, but Israel, the prevailer with God. See 
Gen. 32:22-30. 

It is character, then, to which God refers in saying, “Jacob have 
I loved, but Esau have I hated.” The passage is first found in 


224 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

Malachi 1:2, 3. But we can readily see, by reading the context, 
that it has reference not to Jacob as an individual, but to Jacob as 
a people, and Esau as a people. The reason why God loved the 
one was because the one sought Him and followed Him. The 
other not only turned away from God, but turned their hands 
against every man. 

Neither does it mean, by “hate,” that God cherished evil feelings 
against Esau. The Lord, through His own prophet, Isaiah, pleads, 
“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” And 
Esau is included among those whom the Lord would save. 

It is well for us to remember that these persons who stand out 
in the Old Testament are frequently taken for types of character, 
as for instance, Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, Ishmael and 
Isaac, Jezebel and Elijah. To remember this will help us to 
understand some of the references made to them in later scriptures. 

What Is Usury? 

What is usury? Nowadays I understand that it is 
unlawful interest; but does not the Bible teach us, in 
Exodus 22:25; Psalm 15:5; Ezekiel 18:8, and parallel 
passages, that it is increase? 

The word itself means compensation for use. When God gave 
His people the land of Canaan, all had sufficient. They were 
dependent for their existence upon the land, not upon loaning 
money. They were therefore forbidden to loan money to their 
poor brethren, and charge for the use of it. But when a person 
is dependent upon his money for his living, and has but a limited 
amount of it, it seems to us perfectly proper that those who borrow 
his money in order to get increase should pay the owner of the 
money a reasonable interest. Conditions now are vastly different 
from those in Palestine under the Lord’s rule. Yet, according to 
God’s word, a well-to-do or rich man should never charge a poor 
and worthy brother interest, nor should he charge anyone ex¬ 
orbitant interest. The same principle of just and generous dealings 
exists now as then. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


225 


Cain and His Wife. Gen. 4:16, 17. 

Will you please explain Genesis 4:16, 17? And who 
was Cain’s wife? 

Cain deserved to die, but the Lord reserved to Himself the 
execution of that punishment. Therefore God “appointed a sign 
for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.” Verse 15, 
A. R. V. Then Cain became a wanderer, for “the land of Nod” 
means “the land of wandering.” His wife was his own sister, 
one of Adam’s daughters. Many years may have elapsed between 
verses 16 and 17. 

"Accursed From Christ.” 

Kindly explain what Paul meant in Romans 9:3. 

Did he really mean he wished that he did not know 
Christ, because his brethren did not know Him? 

This scripture reads as follows: “I could wish that myself 
were accursed from Christ for [or in behalf of] my brethren, my 
kinsmen according to the flesh.” Paul’s longing for the salvation 
of his brethren was so intense that he would be willing to lose 
eternal life himself, if by so doing he could accomplish the sal¬ 
vation of his people — not that he was desirous of being cut of! 
himself from Christ, unless his brethren would be benefited thereby. 
He felt his whole being swallowed up in the salvation of his 
people. Moses manifested a similar spirit when, in his deep 
remorse for the sin of the children of Israel, he said, “Yet now, if 
Thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, 
out of Thy book which Thou hast written.” Ex. 32:32. 

The Garden of Eden. Gen. 2:8-10. 

Where was the Garden of Eden planted? 

All that we know about it is that it was upon this earth. These 
rivers mentioned in Genesis 2 would make it seem almost as 
though the Garden of Eden were located in Asia; but the names 
are there given because of their meaning and not as proper 


226 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

names to indicate locality. The world at that time was different 
from what it is now, or has been since the Deluge. How much 
change took place, of course, we cannot say; but the apostle Peter 
tells us that men in speculating over these things willfully forget 
that “there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted 
out of water and amidst water, by the word of God; by which 
means the world [cosmos, arrangement] that then was, being 
overflowed with water, perished.” 2 Peter 3:5, 6. Now if the 
“arrangement,” or the “cosmos’/ that then was perished, we cer¬ 
tainly have no right to endeavor to use the present cosmos, or 
arrangement, of the earth’s surface as proof of where some locality 
was then. 

Pharaoh’s Free Will. Ex. 9:12. 

How could Pharaoh let Israel go if God was hindering 
him? 

But Pharaoh did let Israel go. Now if he could do it at last, 
he certainly could have done it at first. Only by withdrawing 
His Spirit does God harden anyone’s heart; and He does not 
withdraw His Spirit until men reject Him. It was God’s desire 
that Pharaoh, like Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, should be con¬ 
verted. The Lord brought that king to the throne that His power 
might be manifest and the glory of His name spread abroad. And 
if the king had yielded to God, this would have been the case. 
God would have used Egypt mightily, even as He did Babylon 
and Persia. Every request that Moses made of the king was 
reasonable (Ex. 4:23; 5:1; 8:1, etc.); and the plagues brought 
upon Egypt were to show Pharaoh and his people that the gods 
in which they trusted were nothing. Note also that it was not 
till all hope was gone that God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” by 
withdrawing His Spirit. In Exodus 4:21 the Lord declares there 
will come a time when He will harden the king’s heart, but this 
does not take place till all hope is past. Ex. 9:12. Previous to that 
(Ex. 7:13, 22), “Pharaoh’s heart was strong;” (Ex. 8:15, 32), “he 
made heavy his heart;” (Ex. 8:19), “Pharaoh’s heart was strong;” 


MISCELLANEOUS 


227 


(Ex. 9:7), “was stubborn” (A. R. V.; margin, “heavy”). But when 
even the magicians could not stand before Moses, and the king 
was still stubborn against the Spirit of God, God withdrew His 
Spirit, left the king to himself, and thus fulfilled what He had 
said. Ex. 9:12. 

Children of Ham. Gen. 10:6-20. 

Is there good authority for the statement that the Ne¬ 
groes are the descendants of Ham? If so, is it probable 
that it was the result of the curse pronounced upon Canaan 
by Noah? It does not seem possible that God would allow 
what seems so unjust a thing, especially when Canaan 
had nothing to do with it, and it was the result of Noah’s 
drunkenness. 

Yes, the Negroes are descendants of Ham, as you will learn 
by tracing the ethnological branches of the Hamitic branch of 
Noah’s family. See Gen. 10:6-20. They spread abroad to the 
south, and inhabited Africa. God’s curse upon Canaan was not 
an arbitrary one; it was the simple declaration of what would 
come upon Ham’s descendants as the result of the father’s weak¬ 
ness of character. Noah’s drunkenness was doubtless accidental, 
through ignorance; but Ham’s sin was a revelation of low char¬ 
acter, which, transmitted to his children, would make them the 
weakest branch of his family. Yet from that curse there always 
has been and is redemption in Christ Jesus. 

Origin of Races. Genesis 10. 

Will you be so kind as to give your opinion as to 
where the black and colored races sprang from? 

The origin of the races which now people the world is given 
as definitely in Genesis 10 as in any other book or writing. The 
idea which you mention of the colored people’s descending from 
Cain is erroneous, for the descendants of Cain were all swept 
away by the Flood, unless some of them had intermarried with 
the descendants of Seth, the line from which Noah sprang. Genesis 


228 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

io tells us that Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 
The children o£ the latter, Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, 
Meshech, and Tiras, and their descendants, peopled the north; 
most of the European nations sprang from them. The sons of 
Shem—Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram—peopled 
with their descendants the lands round about Palestine. From 
Asshur sprang the Assyrians, etc. The children of Israel descended 
from Shem through Arphaxad. The children of Ham peopled 
Canaan for a time, and Africa. They were Cush, Mizraim, Phut, 
and Canaan. From Mizraim sprang the Egyptians, from Canaan 
the Canaanites, from Cush the Ethiopians, etc. Many of the na¬ 
tions, races, and tribes of the world sprang from a mixture of 
the above. 

Cruelty to Children. Num. 31:13-18; 2 Kings 10. 

Please give some light on the following scriptures: 
Numbers 31:13-18; 2 Kings 10, the commands of Moses 
as they involved cruelty to children. 

It would help us very much to understand these if we would 
take into account the conditions that existed when Moses gave 
these commands. Midian had planned to destroy a nation. They 
had done this under the teaching of Balaam, who sold himself 
for hire. The nation of Midian itself had gotten to that place 
where it was tending to evil, and only evil. Had it been allowed 
to continue, the children and all connected with it would have 
not only gone to destruction themselves, but would have brought 
others, doomed to destruction, into the world. And if they had 
been allowed to work their arts upon Israel unrebuked, both Israel 
and Midian would have gone to utter destruction. God in His 
wisdom saw that it was necessary to bring a check to that wicked¬ 
ness, and He did so summarily. Surely, it was mercy to those who 
were slain, to be slain at that time in their innocency, many of 
them, rather than to go on in unmitigated, high-handed wicked¬ 
ness, bringing others into the same conditions. It is better some¬ 
times to cut off an arm or a leg than to lose a life. 


MISCELLANEOUS 


229 


Moses did not act on his own initiative. God directed him as 
to what to do, and certainly we can see wisdom in the directions 
given. We need not necessarily believe, however, that God was 
in all the work that the over zealous Jehu did, although the wor¬ 
shipers of Baal were doubtless worthy of all they received, for 
they, too, aimed at destruction. The very religion itself, Baal 
worship, would even put to death the innocent as a part of its 
religious service. Baal worship was destroying God’s people, and 
all the other nations with which it was connected; and this sum¬ 
mary punishment was brought to save nations from the sad con¬ 
sequences of the cruel and licentious Baal religion. It would have 
proved a great deal more effective in this case if Jehu himself had 
been faithful to God, and had not turned to the worship of the 
calves. 

False Prophets Used by God. 

How could the Lord speak through such men as 
Balaam, and the prophet in i Kings 13:11? 

God uses the very best instruments He has at hand always. 
Balaam was once evidently a true prophet of God. Through his 
foretelling of events, temptation came to him. Kings and noted 
men were willing to pay him. They had seen that after he uttered 
curses, curses followed; and where he blessed, blessings followed. 
So Balak tempted him by offering him great riches; yet God 
guarded the prophet, covetous though he was, so that he spoke 
His truth. Balaam afterward sought to earn his ill-gotten gain by 
corrupting Israel, or giving advice to Balak as to how Israel 
might be corrupted through idolatrous women; but in the wars 
that followed, Balaam himself was slain. 

The disobedient prophet was destroyed because he trusted a 
brother prophet. The Lord does not declare that His children 
are infallible. Moses made his mistake. We even have the case 
of the Lord’s using the wicked high priest of the Jews. See John 
11:50. “It is expedient for you that one man should die for the 
people, and that the whole nation perish not,” was what Caiaphas 


230 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

said. The verse following: “Now this he said not of himself: but 
being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die 
for the nation.” God used him; and so He always uses the very 
best material that He has at hand. All that He has to use for the 
salvation of humanity among humanity, is imperfect humanity. 
It is only God who could thus use them. 

Time of Egyptian Plagues. Ex. 7:15; 9:31; 10:15. 

Is there any record to show the length of time that 
passed between the plagues that fell on the Egyptians, 
as recorded in Exodus? 

This can be ascertained to some extent by the study of the text 
together with a knowledge of climatic and crop conditions of 
Egypt. When the plagues began, the Nile must have been high, 
as the land was soaked with water; the plague of flies, when the 
waters were abating; of storm and tempest upon the growing, 
early crops; of locusts upon those which revived from the hail and 
sprang up later. All the cattle of Egypt which were attacked died; 
that is, such as were in the field. It is reasonable to suppose that 
many Egyptians gathered their cattle in. And after this plague 
it is reasonable to suppose that they took of the Israelites’ cattle. 
The plagues seem to have lasted nearly or quite a round of the 
seasons. 

Seeing God Face to Face. Num. 14:14. 

Please show the harmony between the statement made 
in Exodus 33:20, that no man should see God’s face and 
live, and that in Numbers 14:14, which declares that the 
Lord is seen face to face. 

The passage in Exodus 33:20 has reference to God and His in¬ 
effable glory. Moses pleads, “I beseech Thee, show me Thy 
glory;” and Jehovah answers, “I will make all My goodness pass 
before thee,” but “thou canst not see My face: for there shall no 
man see Me, and live.” That is, no man in his mortal, sinful 
condition could look upon His face and live. It was for this very 


MISCELLANEOUS 


231 


reason that God manifested Himself in His Son. That Son took 
upon Himself the form of a servant, and, while the character of 
God was in Him, yet the glory of that character was veiled in 
the position which He assumed,—in the ancient times, in the 
form of an angel; after His incarnation, in the form of a man. 
Jacob looked upon Him as an angel (Gen. 32:30), and so also 
did others; but as the all-glorious Deity no man could or can 
behold Him until he stands complete in God’s image. And there 
is this distinction made between God the Father and God the 
Son. No man has beheld the Father; the Son alone reveals Him. 
Matt. 11:27. S° when the Son comes in all the glory of the Father, 
the wicked will not be able to behold that glory, but will perish in 
its presence. 

Taking an Oath. Janies 5:12. 

Is it right to be sworn? See James 5:12 and Matt. 5:34. 

These scriptures forbid extrajudicial oaths . There are many 
persons who seem to think their word will not be believed unless 
they connect with it some oath, such as “I hope to die;” or they 
swear by the earth, or by their head, or by some saint or prophet. 
All these things the Lord tells us are wrong. All extrajudicial oaths 
are out of place; but when authorities require us to take oath, it 
is proper for us so to do. Even so Jesus was sworn at the time of 
His trial. See Matt. 26:63. “I adjure Thee by the living God,” was 
the form of the oath that was put to the Lord by the high priest. 
Before this Jesus answered nothing; but when the oath was put 
to Him by the priest, He replied. So we read in Hebrews 6 that 
the Lord swore by Himself. It is proper on right occasion for the 
Christian to take oath. 

Jephthah’s Daughter. Judges 11:31. 

Did Jephthah offer his daughter up for a burnt 

offering? 

We do not think he did. One writer says: “The original of 
Judges 11:31 when properly translated reads thus: 


232 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

‘“And it shall be, that whoever comes forth of the doors 
of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children 
of Ammon, shall surely be Jehovah’s, and I will offer to Him a 
burnt offering.’ 

“The vow contains two parts: i. That person who met him 
on his return should be Jehovah’s, and be dedicated forever to 
His service, as Hannah devoted Samuel before he was born, i 
Sam. i: ii. 2. That Jephthah himself would offer a burnt offering 
to Jehovah. Human sacrifices were prohibited by the law (Deut. 
12:30, 31); and the priests would not offer them. Such a vow 
would have been impious, and could not have been performed. 
It may safely be concluded that Jephthah’s daughter was devoted 
to perpetual virginity; and with this idea agree the statements that 
‘she went to bewail her virginity;’ that the women went four times 
in every year to mourn or talk with (not for) her; that Jephthah 
‘did with her according to his vow, and she knew no man.’ ”— 
Appendix to Emphatic Diaglott. 

Child and Sinner of a Hundred Years. 

Will you please explain Isaiah 65:20: “The child shall 
die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred 
years old shall be accursed”? 

The text and the context clearly refer to the end of sin and 
the entering upon the eternal inheritance. Let us consider what 
is elsewhere revealed of some of the events of the great day of God. 

The great day of God’s wrath begins with the close of probation 
and the pouring out of the seven last plagues. 

Under the pouring out of the seventh plague Christ comes, and 
all the living wicked that are left perish in the presence of His 
awful glory. See Revelation 14 to 19. 

During one thousand years—the “many days” of Isaiah 24:22 
—the earth is left desolate; the wicked are dead, and the saints 
are in heaven with Christ. 

At the close of the one thousand years, the “many days,” the 
wicked are raised from the dead, and vindicate God’s infinite 


MISCELLANEOUS 


233 


justice by yielding themselves once more to the deceptions of Satan. 
He organizes them again into armies, and attempts to take the 
city of God. Rev. 20:5-8; Isa. 54:15, 17. This is a “little season,” 
as compared with the thousands of years of his existence. Many 
hold the opinion that this “little season” will be about one hun¬ 
dred years in length. 

There will be among these wicked ones the young who have 
just passed the age of accountability, and have rejected God. There 
will also be the hardened sinner; and for that period of time they 
will, by yielding to Satan’s control, demonstrate that God has 
justly rejected them. 

Now in the light of these facts read Isaiah 65:17-21. Verses 
17-19 present before us the glorious new earth and its capital city, 
in which sorrow and crying will never enter. See also Rev. 21:1-4. 

The next verse gives the reason,—for before that, all the former 
conditions will have passed away, the premature old man, the 
abnormally old infant; for at the close of that little season the 
child of wickedness will die a hundred years old, and the sinner 
being a hundred years old shall be accursed. And when God’s 
glory appears above that city, they shall all perish in His presence. 
Rev. 20:9. The age of each is expressed by that period, their 
resurrection life; their experience in sin by the terms “child” and 
“sinner.” 

We do not gather from the scripture that every responsibly 
wicked child shall live to be just one hundred years old; nor do 
we believe that the reference is to antediluvian children, some of 
whom were fathers at sixty-five (Gen. 5:15, 21); but these post- 
millennial years cover that wonderful period in which God’s plan 
will receive final vindication in justice from all the universe, and 
every false theory will be determined at its true worth of utter 
emptiness and falsity. Man’s presumptuous claim to inherent im¬ 
mortality, to deityship enthroned, to “divine immanence,” to Christ 
within, whatever the character, will be laid bare, and Christ’s 
words, “No man can come to Me, except the Father which sent 
Me draw him,” and, “Without Me ye can do nothing,” are proved 
forever true. 


234 QUESTIONS ANSWERED 

His word declares that by nature men are “alienated from the 
life of God,” “having no hope,” and “without God in the world;” 
that the only hope in the world is by living faith to grasp God’s 
promises, God’s life, and God’s regeneration. Those who do this 
will be saved. Those who do not do this will remain condemned; 
and God will, in the period which follows the thousand years, 
demonstrate the truth of His word to all the universe in the 
negative as well as in the positive. In the negative He will show 
that the great mass of the wicked will in and of themselves have 
no desire whatever to worship Him or to do His will. Right in 
the sight of the glorious city of God, in the face of the fact that 
they live only by His power, they are deceived by the enemy still 
to fight against God. Having utterly rejected the law, the gospel, 
and the Spirit of God, they have no power to repent, no desire 
to return, no love for righteousness; they have placed themselves 
utterly outside of the plan of God. Their hearts are wholly carnal. 
Satan deceives them. He marshals them into armies,— a long and 
tedious task. He plans the mightiest campaign earth ever knew. 
He forges, through earth’s mightiest artisans, the weapons of hell. 
But not a soul, whether of morally responsible youth or of mature 
age, during that period turns to God; and at the close comes the 
total destruction of sin and all demonstrably identified with it. 
God will demonstrate His truth in a positive way in the fulfillment 
of all the blessed promises that He has given to the redeemed. The 
wicked are forever cut off. Beyond lie the glorious new heavens 
and earth, which the righteous shall inherit; and from henceforth 
“there shall be no more curse.” 

Does God Cause Earthquakes? Ps. 104:32. 

Does God cause the earthquakes and volcanic erup¬ 
tions? Does God allow Satan to bring harm to His 
people? 

To both questions, Yes, and No. All the power there is in the 
world is from God, and the Source of that power or energy 
designed that it should always be used for good. Satan and sin 


MISCELLANEOUS 


235 


have perverted that power, so that God’s living law perverted 
“worketh wrath;” but it always works to the destruction of sin. 
What God permits, He is often said to do. He permits power to 
be perverted by rebellion, that men may see that His way only is 
life and preservation; and in His wisdom He has so ordered things 
that sin will always work out destruction. He therefore does not 
cause earthquakes in the sense that they are a part of His plan. 
They are among the evils which sin has brought, but which God 
is using to His glory. Yes, He allows Satan to bring temporal and 
seeming harm to His children. Satan brought it to Job, he brought 
it to Christ. Are we better than our Master? The harm would 
be permanent were not our God the living God, and to every 
soul who trusts Him God will turn all the evil to good. For “we 
know that to them that love God God worketh all things with 
them for good.” Rom. 8:28, A. R. V. 



SCRIPTURAL INDEX 


Not all the following texts are explained by any means. Some are used as proof 
texts, some as illustrations, some as parallel passages to those quoted. The reference 
is to the page in the book. 


GENESIS 

Page 

15:20, 21. 

210 

23:3 . 

1:1 . 

. 114 

16:.109, 

113 

25:5 . 

1:2 . 

.33, 177 

16:4, 25-28 _94,130, 

137 

25:25 . 

1:22 . 

. 172 

19:.101, 

156 

30:19 . 

1:26 . 

. 26 

19:5-8 .155, 

195 

31:6 . 

2 . 

. 225 

20:6 . 

165 

33:27 . 

2:2, 3 _109,113,126,149 

20:8-11. .109, 113, 126, 


34:5, 6. 

2:8-10 . 

. 225 

131, 150 


3:3, 4 . 

. 180 

20:13 . 

102 

JOSHUA 

3:6 . 

. 94 

22:25 . 

224 

10:12 . 

4:10 . 

. 52 

23:21 . 

26 

10:13 . 

4:15 . 

.225 

24: . 

156 

24:2. 

4:16, 17. 

. 225 

24:3-8 . 

155 


4:24 . 

. 78 

24:12 . 

88 

JUDGES 

4:26 . 

. . . .174, 195 

31:13-17 . 

117 

4:4, 5. 

5:15, 21 . . . 

. 233 

31:18 . 

88 

5:1 . 

6 . 

. 174 

32:1-5 . 

115 

11:31 . 

6:2 . 

.94, 195 

32:32 . 

225 


6:3 . 

. 63 

33:19 . 

213 

RUTH 

6:5 . 

. 94 

33:20 . 

230 

4:9-13 . 

6:9 . 

. 94 

34:1, 2. 

155 


6:11 . 

. 94 

34:21 . 

149 

1 SAMUEL 

7:8 . 

. 150 

34:28 . 

155 

1:11 . 

7:11 . 

. 65 

35:2, 3. 

149 

15:22 . 

7:24 . 

. 65 

40:15 . 

49 

16:8-10 . 

8:4 . 

. 65 




8:20 . 

. 150 

LEVITICUS 


2 SAMUEL 

9:21-25 . 

. 94 

10: . 

141 

1:18 . 

10: . 

. 227 

11:7, 8. 

149 

8:2 . 

10:6-20 . 

. 227 

18:7 . 

169 

12:29-31 . 

11:3 . 

. 213 

18:16 . 

169 

24:24 . 

17:1 . 

. 94 

18 :6-18 . 

170 


17:7, 8, 13, 19 

. 49 

19:2 . 

93 

1 KINGS 

18:1 . 

. 26 

19:18 . 

88 

4:7 . 

18:19 . 

. 95 

19:26.131, 

152 

13:11 . 

23:. 

. 23 

20:12, 14, 17, 19-21_ 

170 

18:12 . 

24:57-60 . 

. 168 

20:21 .. 

169 


26:5 . 

. 95 

23: . 

131 

2 KINGS 

31:32 . 

. 94 

23:32 .114, 

149 

2:11 . 

31:30, 34 . 

. 94 

23:38 . 

131 

2:16 . 

32 *22-31 26 

118 223 231 

26 :27, 28 . 

77 

10: . 

35:2, 4. 

. 94 


21:3-6 . 

39:7-9 . 

. 94 

NUMBERS 


22:14-20 . 

49:10 . 

. 127 

14:14 . 

230 




14:34 . 

65 

1 CHRONICLES 

EXODUS 


15 :30-36 . 

149 

3:10-24 . 

1:16, 17. 

. 94 

25:13 . 

49 

10:13, 14. 

2:14 . 

. 94 

31:13-18 . 

228 

20:3 . 

4:21 . 

. 226 



20:31 . 

4:23 . 

. 226 

DEUTERONOMY 


21:22, 25 . 

6:1 . 

. 226 

2:30 . 

213 

22:2, 15 . 

7:13, 22. 

. 226 

5:22 . 

99 

27:1-15 . 

7:15 . 

. 230 

6:4 . 

24 


8:1 . 

. 226 

6:5 . 

88 

2 CHRONICLES 

8:15, 32. 

. 226 

10:1-4 . 

155 

3:1 . 

8*19 

. . 226 

12:21 . 

152 

16:9 .95, 187, 190 

Q .7 

227 

12 :30, 31. 

232 

20: . 

9:12 . 

....226, 227 

14:21 . 

151 

36:19, 21. 

9:31 . 

. 230 

17:17 . 

173 


10:15 . 

. 230 

18:10 . 

152 

EZRA 

10:29 . 

. 221 

18:13 . 

94 

4:1-3 . 

12:2 . 

. 85 

19:5 . 

213 


12:6, 14. 

. 200 

19:15 . 

73 

NEHEMIAH 

12:31 . 

. 221 

21:15-17 . 

172 

13:15-22 . 


195 

169 


189 


20 

94 


210 

210 

231 


168 


232 


21 

213 


65 

229 


70 

217 

228 


213 


65 


23 

196 

103 


104 


16 


2 37 
































































































































































238 

SCRIPTURAL INDEX 



JOB 


37:36 . 

60 

28:12-15 . 


1, 2: . 

.179, 180 

42:8 . 

24 

28:16-19 . 


14:13, 14. 

. 47, 59 

42:21 . 

156 

33:11 161,165, 

166, 188 

14:22 . 

. 59, 60 

45:17 . 

118 

36:26 .•... 


17:12 . 

. 59 

45:18 . 

62 

36:27 . 


17:22 . 

. 60 

45:19 . 

190 

37:2 . 


38:4-7 . 

. 178 

50:9 . 

61 

37-48: . 




50:10 . 

193 

37:13, 14. 


PSALMS 


61:6, 7 .130, 

145 

46:1 . 


2:7-9 . 


51:8 . 

61 

46:21 . 


6:5 . 

.42, 43 

53:4, 5, 6, 11. 

30 



15:5 . 

. 224 

54:4-6 . 

169 

DANIEL 


18:30 . 

. 94 

55:3, 4. 

159 

3: . 


19: . 

. 51 

55:7 . . . . 161 166, 187, 

188 

6: . 

19:7 . 

. 94 

55:7-9 . 

189 

7: . 

25:14, 9. 

. 220 

56: .113, 

104 

7:13, 14 . 

. . .53, 6{ 

32:5 . 

.186 

56:1-8 . 

76 

7:25. 

. .65, 71 

34:7 . 

. 37 

56:2-8 . 

128 


107, 

37: . 

. 62 

56:6, 7 .104, 

118 

8 :. 

. 7 c i 

40:7, 8. 

. . . . 134, 156 

58:13 .113j 

114 

8:11 . 


50:3 . 

. 74 

61:1 . 

50 

8:14 . 


50:5 . 

.159 

61:10 .168, 

169 

9: . 


74:6 . 

. 213 

62:3-5 .' 

169 

9:1-19 . 


78:69 . 

. 62 

63:9 . 

26 

9:24-27 . 


90:2 . 

. 24 

65:20 . 

232 

10:13 . 

.2< 

97:3 . 

. 74 

66:22, 23 .113, 

126 

10:21 . 


103:1 . 

. 42 

66:23 . 

128 

11:36-39 . 


103:19 . 

. 68 

66:24 . 

60 

12:2 . 


104:32 . 

. 234 





110:1 . 

.68, 75 

JEREMIAH 


HOSEA 


111:7, 8 . 

.113, 145 

1 :9, 10. 

198 

6:1, 2. 


115:16 . 

. 62 

1:10 . 

116 

13:14 . 


119:165 . 


2: . 

189 



135:13 . 

. 126 

2:13 . 

22 

JOEL 


146:4 . 

.43, 52 

2:32 . 

168 

2:28, 29 . 


147:11 . 

. 161 

3: . 

189 





3:12-14, 22 . 

164 

AMOS 


PROVERBS 


3:22 . 

189 

3:7 . 


1:24-33 . 

. 220 

4:1 . 

189 

8:3 . 


2:17 . 

. 168 

4:23-27 . 

78 



11:31 . 

. 79 

4:25 . 

79 

MICAH 


16:4 . 


8:2 . 

213 

5:2 . 




10:3 . 

213 

7:18 . 


ECCLESIASTES 

10:4 . 

213 

7:18,19 . 


1:4 . 

. 62 

16:14, 15 . 

76 



1:5 . 

. 176 

17:24-27 . 

61 

NAHUM 


9:5 . 

. 43 

18:7-10.17, 77, 116, 

198 

3:14 . 


12:7 . 

. 45 

19:2, 6, 11, 12. 

60 



12:13, 14 .. .. 

.88, 140 

23:5, 6. 

24 

HABAKKUK 




30:7 . 

82 

2: . 


CANTICLES 


31:31-34 .118, 

159 



3:11 . 

. 168 

31:40 . 

60 

ZEPHANIAH 




31:31 . 

77 

1:2, 3. 


ISAIAH 


32:17 . 

221 



1:5, 6. 

. 39 

43:9 . 

213 

ZECHARIAH 


1:18 . 

. 187 

43:9-11 . 

214 

6:12, 13. 


9:6 . 

. 21 

46:22 . 

213 

13:7 . 


11:11-16 . 

. 76 



14:16-21 . 


14:4 . 

. 181 

EZEKIEL 




14:4-20 . 

. 177 

4:4-6 . 

65 

MALACHI 


14:12-14 _ 

.177, 178,181 

8:15, 16. 

131 

2:2, 3 . 


14:17 . 

. 46 

16:8-14. 

168 

2:14 . 


24:1-3 . 

. 78 

18:8 . 

224 

3:6 . 


24:21, 22 . 

. 78 

20 :12, 13. 

117 

4:1 . 


24:22'. 

. 232 

20:20, 12 . 

131 

4:4-6 . 


24:23 . 

. 129 

21:25-27 . 

99 



26:19 . 

. 47 

22:26 . 

141 

MATTHEW 


30:26 . 

. 129 

26:9 . 

213 

1 -1 


30:33 . 


28: . 

178 

1:7 

34: .. 


28:2 . 

177 

1 *19 

34:8-15 . 

. 78 

28:11-19 . 

177 

3.2, 3 . 


34:11-15 . 

. 79 

28:12 . 

181 

3:12 . 



181 

181 

189 

40 

40 

213 

77 

48 

130 

213 


218 

218 

82 


85 

72 


47 


63 

60 


164 


213 


52 


78 


224 

168 

93 

61 

80 


21 

21 

29 

92 

61 




















































































































































































SCRIPTURAL INDEX 


239 


4:1-11 . 


2 :27, 28 . . 


1:14 ... 

5:17 ... 


2:28 . 


1:26 ... 

5:17, 18 

. 160 

3 :22-30 . . 

. 165 

2:19-21 

5:17-20 . 

. .88, 107, 110, 113 

3 :28-30 . . 

. 164 

3:3-5 .. 


116, 130, 145, 156 

3:29 . 

. 38 

3:16 ... 

5:21-28 


3:29, 30 . . 

. 161 

3:17-21 

5:27, 28 

. 218 

3:31 . 

. 29 

3 :36 

5:32 .. . . 

. 171, 172 

6:3 . 

. 30 

4:9 .... 

5:34 ... 

. 231 

7:27 . 

. 56 

4 *22 

5 :48 .. . 


8:31 . 


4:24 ... 

8:16 ... 


9:1 . 

. 69 

5:24 . . . 

9:16 ... 


9:4 . 


5:28, 29 

10:27 ... 

.203 

9:31 .... 


5:36, 39 

10:28 ... 


9:43-48 .. 

.60, 61 

5:39 . . . 

11:12 ... 


10:34 . 

. 121 

5:41-47 

11:14 ... 


11:25 . 

. 191 

6:33 .. . 

11:27 ... 

. 231 

13: . 

. 85 

6 *40 

12:40 ... 

. 119 

14:34 . 


6:47 ... 

12:26 ... 


14:57, 58 . 

. 120 

6:51 ... 

12:40 ... 

. 120 

15:29 . 

. 120 

6:54 . . . 

12:31, 32 

. 164 

15:42 . 

. 119 

6:57 ... 

12:44 .. . 

. 181 

16:1, 2 . . . 

...110, 114, 123 

6:58 ... 

12 :47 . . . 

. 29 

16:9. 

.123, 124 

6:63 . . . 

12:50 .... 

. 30 



7:3, 4 . . 

13:39 .... 

. 218 

LUKE 


7:5 . . .. 

13:55 .... 

. 30 

1: . 

. 29 

7 ;17 ... 

16:15-17 

. 35 

1:17 . 

. 80 

8 :17, 18 

16:17-19 

. 197 

1:28, 42 . . 

. 69 

8:33, 39 

16 :19 .. . . 

. 115 

1:32, 33 .. 

. 54 

8:44 ... 

16:21 .... 

. 121 

3:23 . 

. 32 

11:26 ... 

16:25 .. . . 

. 51 

3:27 . 

. 29 

11:24-26 

16:25, 26 . 

. 42 

3:36-33 .. 

. 210 

11:50 ... 

16:26 .... 

. 51 

4:16 . 

.110,113 

11:51 .. . 

16:27 .. . . 

. 58 

4:40 . 

. 114 

12:23, 24 

16:28 . . . . 

.44, 69 

8:19 . 

. 29 

12 :27, 31 

17:1-3 ... 

. 44 

9:22 . 

. 121 

12:28, 29 

17:22, 23 

. 121 

9:27 . 

. 69 

12:31 ... 

18:16 .. . . 

. 73 

10:18 . 

. 180 

12:47, 48 

18:21-35 . 

. 187 

11:23 . 

. 182 

13:3-17 . 

19: . 

. 133 

11:24-26 ... 

.181 

13:7 .... 

19:9 . 

. 171 

12:10 . 

. 164 

13:8 .... 

19:17 ... 

.91, 110, 118, 160 

12:36 . 

. 58 

13:14-17 

20:18, 19 

. 121 

14:20 . 

. 191 

13:36 .. . 

20 :26, 27 . 

. 69 

14:33 . 

. 159 

14:1-3 .. 

22:36-40 . 

. 88 

16:16 . 

. 91 

14 :6 .... 

23 :37, 38 . 

. 161 

16:17 . 

.116 

14:9 .... 

24: . 

.65, 85 

16:19-31 ... 

. 55 

14:10 ... 

24:13 .... 

. 211 

17 :3, 4. 

. 187 

14:15-17 

24:14 .... 

. 75 

17:20, 21 . . . 

. 68 

14:16 ... 

24:33 .... 

. 66 

18:32, 33 .. 

. 121 

14:18 ... 

24:34 ... 

. 84 

19:11-13 ... 

.53, 68 

14 :23 ... 

25:1-10 .. 

. 168 

21: . 

.65^ 85 

14:30 ... 

25:31 .. .. 


21:34 . 

. 65 

15:7 .... 

25 :41, 46 

. 49 

22 :19 . 

. 200 

15:10 ... 

26:5 . 

. 69 

22:32 . 

. 29 

15:22-24 

26:51, 52 

. 103 

22 :51, 52 .. . 

. 103 

16 :7 .... 

26 :60, 61 . 

. 120 

22:53 . 

. 122 

17: . 

26:63 .... 

. 231 

23:43 . 

. 53 

17:5 . 

27: . 

. 124 

23:54, 56 . . . 

. 119 

17:18 ... 

27:3-10 . 

. 209 

23:56 . 

.. .110, 113, 119 

17:24 ... 

27 :40 .... 

. 120 

24:1 . 

.110, 123 

18:20 ... 

27:52, 53 

.44, 71 

24:7 . 

.121 

19:15 .. . 

27:63, 64 . 

. 121 

24:21 . 

. 121 

19:26, 27. 

28: . 

. 115 

24:35 . 

. 135 

19:31 ... 

28:1 .... 

.114, 123 

24:39 . 

. 37 

20:1 .... 

28:18, 20 . 


24 :44-46 .. . 

.17, 121 

20:17 .. . . 

28:19 .. .. 

.14, 15 



20:23 .... 

28 :20 .... 

. 75 

JOHN 


20:27 .... 



1:1-3 . 

.24, 31 


MARK 


1:9 . 

. 220 

ACTS 

1:32 .. .. 

.114, 149 

1:12, 13 ... 

.32, 197 

1:16 .. .. 

2 :27 .. . 

.126, 149 

1:21 . 

. 80 

1:25 .. .. 


. 31 

. 69 

. 120 

. 197 

. 166 

. 141 

. 39 

. 104 

76, 106, 118, 127 

. 37 

39 

...... 26, 46, 48 

. 73 

. 16 

. 67 

. 45 

. 45 

. 45 

. 45 

. 45 

. 45 

. 45 

.40, 45 

. 29 

29 

.’’.'.’.’.’.194, 220 

. 73 

. 56 

. 180 

. 43 

. 47 

. 229 

. 230 

. 122 

. 122 

. 216 

.181 

.183, 214 

. 201 

. 202 

. 202 

. 202 

.67, 78 

.67, 71,78 

. 194 

. 39 

. 39 

. 40 

. 34 

. 34 

. 34 

. 181 

. 40 

.110, 113 

. 141 

. 35 

. 25 

.27, 31 

. 27 

. 68 

.202, 203 

. 161 

. 30 

.120 

. 123 

.29, 64 

. 198 

. 47 


13 

209 



















































































































































































































240 


SCRIPTURAL INDEX 


2*7-12 . 205 

6:14 . 92 

15:24 . 74 

2:i4 . 198 

2*17 18 . 91 

6:23 . 94 

7 : .91. 96 

15:24-28 . 76 

15:25 . 75 

2 *24 . 41 

7 ;2, 3. 169 

15:45 .. 38 

2 *37 . 29 

7:4'. 169 

15:51-55 .4S, 59, 70 

2*42 46 . 135 

7 :7. 88 , 92, 94, 110, 137 

16 :1, 2.115, 116 

2 *46' . 201 

7:12 . 94 

16:12 . 29 

k .{ 2 . 199 

7:13 . 159 

2 CORINTHIANS 

4:4 . 181 

7-23 . 29 

7:15-25 . 185 

7 .30 .195 

8 : . 97 

8-39 . 217 

8 :4 .89, 90, 137 

4:14 . 48 

9.7 .216,217 

8:7_90, 93, 137, 154, 156 

8:9 . 40 

5:1-10 . 68 

Ifj. . 198 

5 : 6-8 .57, 58 

10*40 . 121 

8:10 . 40 

5:17 . 40 

11 .ofi . 195 

8:23 . 59 

5:19 . 39 

12*4 *. 143 

8:28 . 235 

6 : 21 . 32 

14*6-18 . 191 

8:28-30 .211,212 

6:1 . 106 

14*15-17 . 91 

9: . 97 

6*14-18 . 174 

15 ! . 149 

9:3 . 225 

10 :4, 5. 103 

15*1 5 . 148 

9 :4 .76, 127 

11:5'. 198 

15*7-14 . 198 

9 :4, 5. 117 

12 :2 . 222 

15*13-21 . 198 

9: 6-8 . 71 

12:2-4 .217,222 

15*24 . 148 

9:15-24 .165, 211 

13 *1 . 73 

17 *24 16. 126 

9:18-23 .211 

13:11 . 94 

17 'oi 26 .126 

9:33 . 190 

GALATIANS 

1:19 . 30 

48 *26" . 210 

10:3 . 39 

19*6 . 91 

10:4 . 96 

20 * . 116 

11:17 . 76 

2:1-11 . 198 

20 :7. .116, 116, 135, 201, 210 

21 .q . 210 

11:20 . 71 

11:26 . 71 

2:16 .. 98 

2:16-21 . 97 

21 : 9 , 10 .91,210 

22*9 .216,217 

11:29 . 215 

13:1 . 183 

2:20 .40,83 

3 *2-5 11-13. 97 

24*14 16 . 47 

13:1-7 . . . 169 

3*8 . 51 

26*28' . 199 

14: .130, 137 

3 :9, 10 .. . . 100 

27*36 . 135 

14:4 . 199 

3*9-13 .100 

28* !.116 

14:5 . 130 

3 *15 .... .... 160 

ROMANS 

1 - .66,96,219 

14:5, 6 . 136 

14:10-12 . 137 

1 CORINTHIANS 

1:30 . 194 

3:16, 17. 158 

3:19 .98, 159 

3:19 .98, 99, 159 

1 ; 3 . 154 

3 :22 . 60 

l*i 6 17. 89 

S*25-29 71 

2 * . .. 96 

2:13 . 13 

3*27 ... 169 

2:12 91,130,136 

2:14, 15. 95 

2 *17-23 . 136 

3:11 . 198 

3:16 . 83 

5:1-5 . 197 

3:29 . 105 

4:4 _31, 36,97,100, 154 

4*4 5 97 154 

2 ;28, 29 . 105 

6:7 . 201 

4*7-11 152 

3: . 96 

5:7, 8 . 200 

4*8-11 84 121 

3:9 . 89 

5:11-13 . 198 

4*19 11 . .’ ISO 

3:19, 20. 137 

3 : 20 .. -89, 92 

6:2, 3. 71 

7:11, 13, 15 . 172 

4:24, 25 .100,157 

4*24-21 157 

3 : 20-31 . 92 

7:15 . 172 

5 • 92 

3:21 . 106 

7:14 . 214 

5 *6 4ft 

3:21, 22. 137 

3 ;22 . 39 

7:39 . 169 

8:6 . 24 

5:18 . 92 

fi'lft 2 ft 2 

3 *23 . 39 

8:13 . 29 

EPHESIANS 

1 *20 21 75 

3 *28 . 89 

9:5 . 30 

3:31 . 137 

9:19-22 .90,91 

4: . 96 

9:20 . 90 

1 *22 1 Q 5 

4:13 . 99 

4:16 .92, 137 

6 : . 96 

9:21 . 91 

10:31 .150,210 

11:2 . 22 

2:3 . 39 

2:8 . 196 

2*11-19 127 

6:1, 2. 92 

5:5 . 93 

11:5, 6 , 10, 13. 209 

11:24, 26 . 200 

2:11-22 . 76 

2*19 22 7fi 182 

6:12 . 94 

5:13, 14 .70,158 

5:14 . 70 

5:17, 18. 39 

5:19 . 110 

5:20 .98, 159 

6 : . 96 

12: .202, 205 

12:2 131 

14: . 204 

14:29-32 . 91 

14:34, 35 . 209, 210 

15:2, 4. 59 

15:3, 4 . 121 

2:12 . 118 

2:12-15 .155,156 

2:15 . 154 

2:19, 20. 195 

2:20 . 71 

3:6 . 71 

2*2-6 17 77 

6:1 .90, 137 

6:1, 2, 15, 16. 137 

15:12-19 . 49 

15:20-22 . 47 

3:17 . 83 

4:8 .44. 71 















































































































































































































SCRIPTURAL INDEX 


4:18 . 

. 39 

6:12 . 


PHILIPPIANS 


1:21-23 . 

. 57 

2 : . 

. 36 

2:5-8 . 

. 31 

2:5-9 . 

.31, 36 

2:7 . 

. 31 

3:21 . 


COLOSSIANS 


1:12 . 

. 220 

1:13-18 . 


1:15 . 

.24, 25 

1:16 . 

.24, 31 

1:17 . 

. 25 

1:27 . 

. 84 

2:9, 10. 

. 32 

2:12 . 

. 153 

2:13 . 

. 40 

2:14 . 

_150, 153 

2:14-17 . 

. 150 

2:16 . 

130, 131, 150 

2:16, 17. 

. 131 

3:3 . 


3:4 . 

. 41 

3:13 . 

. 191 

4:14 . 

. 208 

1 THESSALONIANS 

1:9 . 

. 131 

4:13-18 . 


4:14 . 

. 48 

4:16 . 

.. .26, 46, 78 

4:16, 17 . 

.67, 217 

5:9, 10 . 

. 46 

2 THESSALONIANS 

1 : 9 . 

. 50 

2:3, 4. 

. 83 

2:3-7 . 

. 145 

2 : 6-8 . 

.83, 84 

2:8 . 

.74, 78 

2 : 8-10 . 

.179, 180 

2:15 . 

. 22 


1 TIMOTHY 


1:13 . 

....38, 165 

1:15 . 

. 91 

1:19, 20. 

. 84 

2 TIMOTHY 


2:17, 18 . 

. 84 

3;i-5 . 

.65, 66 

3:15 . 

. 195 

3:16 . 

. 13 

4:1 . 

. 54 


4:8 . 58 

TITUS 


2 : 11 , 12 . 

. 106 

HEBREWS 


1 «1 2 . 

. 218 

1 : 10 , 11 . 

. 26 

2, 5:. 

. 37 

2*9-18 . 

. 32 

2:14 . 

_164, 181 

2:14-17 . 

.31, 36 


3: . 

. 125 

3:7 . 

. 13 

3:14 . 

. 211 

4: . 

. 125 

4:2 . 

. 51 

4:4 . 

. 125 

4:8 . 

. 125 

4:10 . 

. 125 

4:14-16 _ 

.32, 68 

5:7-9 . 

. 32 

6 : . 

. 231 

6:4-6 . 

.162, 188 

6:4-8 . 

. 192 

7:12 . 

. 152 

7:25 . 

. 32 

8:1 . 

. 68 , 75 

8 : 1 , 2 . 

. 68 , 75 

8 : 6 -ll . 

. 159 

8:7 . 

.155, 156 

8:7-13 . 

. 156 

8:10 . 

.77, 92 

8 : 8-10 . 

.77, 118 

8 : 8-12 . 

. 118 

8 :9, 10. 


10:26 . 

.162, 192 

10:26-29 .... 

. 162 

10:29. 

. . .38, 161, 164 

10:34 . 

. 78 

10:38 . 

. 161 

11:3 . 

. 218 

11:7 . 

.50, 63 

11:14-16 .... 

. 68 

12:19 . 

. 99 

13:14 . 

. 68 

13:20 . 

.48, 49 

JAMES 


1:15 . 

.39, 94 

1:17 . 

. 93 

2 : 8-12 . 

. . . 88 , 116, 130 

5:4 . 

. 221 

6:11 . 

. 97 

5:12 . 

. 231 

1 PETER 


1:10 . 

. 64 

1:15, 16 . . 

. 93 

1:20 . 

. 31 

1:23-25 .. . 

. 40 

2:1-3 . 

. 65 

2:2 . 

. 40 

2:5 . 

. 197 

2:19, 20 , 

. 64 

2 : 20-22 .. . 

. 116 

2 : 21 , 22 .. . 

.113, 116 

2:24 . 

. 30 

3:13 . 

. 64 

3:18 . 

. 50 

3:19 . 

. 50 

3:19, 20 .. . 

.50, 63 

3:20 . 


4:6 . 

. 51 

4:7 . 

. 64 

4:13-18 ... 

. 64 

5:l -6 . 

. 64 

5:8 . 

. 180 

2 PETER 


1:4 . 

. 32 

1:10 . 

. 211 

1:16-18 .... 

.44, 70 

1:21 . 

. 13 


241 


2:5.50, 51, 63 

2:6 . 50 

3 :5, 6 . 226 

3:10 . 79 

1 JOHN 

1:9 . 185 

2:1 . 191 

2:3-5 .113,116 

2:4-6 . 116 

2:18 . 84 

3:4 .94, 110 

3:8 . 180 

3:15 . 218 

5:3 .40, 89,90,93, 97 

5:7, 8 . 15 

5:10-13 .39,40 

5:12, 13. 40 

5:18 . 190 

JUDE 

7 . 50 

9 .26, 46, 70, 180 

REVELATION 

1:10 . 116 

1:16, 17. 47 

1:18 .47, 48 

2:7 .54, 222 

3:11 . 211 

3:14 .24, 25 

3:21 . 68 , 75 

4:1-6 . 67 

4:4 . 71 

5:10 . 67 

6 :9 . 52 

7 :l -8 . 72 

7:5-8 . 71 

8:3 . 52 

9:11 . 180 

10:7 . 85 

11:2 . 65 

11:3 .65, 73 

11:6 . 201 

11:18 . 68 

12 : . 86 

12 :6 . 65 

12:7-9 . 179 

12:9 .180,181 

12:14 . 65 

13: . 86 

13:5 . 65 

13:8 .31,211 

14: 81,232 

14:1-3 .67,78 

14:1-5 .71,72 

14:6 . 108 

14:6, 7. 80 

14:6-12 . 81 

14:6-14 . 86 , 108, 146 

14:9-11 . 145 

14:12 108,113,146 

14:13 . 46 

15: .232 

15:2, 3. 67 

15:8 .70, 71 

16:3 . 42 

16:15 . 71 

16:17 . 71 

17: .82,232 

17:12 . 82 

17:13 . 82 






























































































































































































242 



17 : 16 , 

17 .... 

. 83 

18 : .. 



18:8 . 


. 61 

19 : .. 



19:1 . 



19 : 7-9 


. 169 

19:15 


. 84 

19 : 17 , 

18 .... 

. 79 

19:20 


. 75 

19:21 


. 71 , 78,79 

20 : .. 


. 71 


SCRIPTURAL INDEX 


20:4 . 

. 48 , 70,71 

20 : 4-6 . 


20:5 . 

. 19 , 20 , 70 , 78 

20 : 5 , 6 . 

. 70 

20 : 5-8 . 

. 233 

20:9 . 

. 79 , 233 

20 : 7-9 . 

. 79 

21 : . 


21 : l -2 . 

. 68 

21 : 1 , 2 , 9 , 10 

. 169 


21:3 . 


21 : 1-5 . 

. 54 

21 : 1-7 . 

. 79 

21:12 . 

. 71 , 127 

21:23 . 

. 128 

22 : . 

. 62 , 222 

22 : 1 , 2 . 

. 54 

22:3 . 

. 74 

22:5 . 

. 128 

22:16 . 

. 178 

22:17 . 



i 





































TOPICAL INDEX 


Abolishing the Commandments.154 

“Accursed From Christ”.226 

Acts, “The Law” in.148 

Advent, The Second, and Prophecy 62-87 

Ananias and Sapphira.166 

Apocrapha, The . 14 

Apparent Contradiction Dissolved... 23 
Astronomy .176 

Babylon and Lucifer.177 

Backsliding and the Prodigal Son... .188 

Baptism in History.199 

“Beast” and “False Prophet,” 

Destruction of the. 74 

Beast,” “The Mark of the.145 

Beginning and the End. 17 

Belonging to a Church.196 

“Be Perfect” .186 

Between Death and the Resurrection 42 

Bible, The.9-23 

Facts Regarding the.13, 21 

Is Any Part Obsolete ?. 9 

When Was It Compiled ?. 9 

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit. . .38 

“Book of Jasher, The”. 20 

Bread, for Communion Service.204 

the Breaking of.135 

Breaking of Bread, The.135 

Brothers of Jesus, The.29 

Brother’s Wife, Taking One’s.169 

Brought With Christ From the Dead 48 

Cain and His Wife.225 

Calendar, Old and New Style.129 

Cannot Be Saved.165 

Can Satan Cure Sickness?. 179 

Case of Esther, The.174 

Catholic Version of the Bible. 14 

“Caught Away Philip” .217 

Ceremonial Law, The.148-154 

Change of the Sabbath.142 

Child and Sinner of a Hundred Years 232 

Children of Ham .227 

Christ, Crucified on What Day? ... .119 

Feeding Upon. 45 

On the Cross. 30 

Pre-existence of, The . 25 

Christ’s Age at Baptism. 32 

Christian Experience.185-194 

Life, The .194 

Marriage, How Much Is 

Involved in? .168 

Church, The; Its Ordinances. ... 195-210 
Coming Kingdom, A View of the.... 69 

Commandments, Abolishing the.154 

Before Moses. 93 

Communion Service, Bread for the. .204 

Could Christ Have Sinned ?. 36 

Cousins, Marriage of.170 

Covenant, and the Law, The.158 

By Sacrifice, The.159 

The New .156 

Words of the. The.155 

Covenants, The .155-160 

The Two, in Galatians.157 

Creation and Satan.177 

Creative Power? Does Christ Have. .. 27 


Page 

Cross,” “Nailed to the.153 

The Thief on the. 63 

Cruelty, of David.212 

to Children.228 

Darkness and Light.206 

Day, of the Sabbath, The.108 

What Is the Lord’s?.114 

Days, A Question of.130 

Death and the Body of Moses. 46 

Decalogue—or the Law of 

Ceremonies?. 97 

Deeds of the Law. 89 

Deity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit 24-38 

Various Texts on the. 24 

Destruction of the “Beast” and 

“False Prophet”. 74 

Did the Apostles Change the 

Sabbath?.115 

Difference in Versions. 15 

Disfellowshiping a Member.198 

Divorce, and Marriage.168-175 

A Question of.170 

Do All Have a “Chance” for 

Eternal Life?.219 

Does God Cause Earthquakes?.234 

Doing Simple Duty.140 

“Doth Not Commit Sin” .190 

During the Thousand Years . . . 79 

Duty, Doing Simple.140 

“Earth, Abideth Forever, The”. 62 

Desolated, The . 78 

Earthquakes, Does God Cause?.234 

Easter Sunday .143 

Eden, The Garden of.225 

Effect of Multiplied Translations ... 10 
Egyptian Plagues, The Time of the. .230 

Election.211 

Elijah, and Enoch. 44 

the Prophet. 80 

End, and the Beginning. 17 

of All Things Is at Hand. 64 

of the Law for Righteousness. 96 

Enoch and Elijah. 44 

Esau and Jacob.223 

“Eternal” and “Everlasting”. 49 

Eternal Life ? Do All Have a 

“Chance” for .219 

Have We It Now?. 39 

“Everlasting” and “Eternal”. 49 

Facts Regarding the Bible. 13 

“False Prophet,” and “Beast,” The 

Destruction of. 74 

False Prophet Used by God.229 

Feeding Upon Christ. 45 

Feet Washing .201 

“Fire, Unquenchable”. 60 

First Church and Its Name, The.195 

Forgiveness .191 

Repeated .187 

“Fountains” and “Traditions”. 22 

Free Will, Pharaoh’s.226 

From One Sabbath to Another.128 

Galatians, The Law in.100 

The Two Covenants in.157 


243 











































































































244 


TOPICAL INDEX 


Page 


Garden of Eden, The.225 

Genealogy of Jesus, The . . . . 28 

Gift of Tongues, The.204 

Gifts and Invitation Without 

Repentance.215 

“God Disposes ; Man Proposes”.221 

God, Returning to. 45 

The Kingdom of. 68 

God’s Throne. 74 

Gospel, The, to Whom Was It 

Preached ? . 51 

Grace and Obedience.104 

Great Round World, The.139 

Has Christ Creative Power?. 27 

Have We Eternal Life Now?. 39 

Healing, Questions on.207 

Heathen and the Law, The. 95 

Heaven, The Third.222 

Helpless in Sin.185 

“Higher Powers, The” . 183 

“His Soul Within Him Shall Mourn”. . 59 
Holy Spirit, Blasphemy Against the. . 38 

Horns, The Identity of the. 82 

How Often Celebrate the Lord’s 

Supper?.200 

How Much Is Involved in Christian 

Marriage? .168 

Identity of the Horns, The. 82 

Immortal, or Mortal?. 41 

Importance of the Sabbath, The.107 

Interesting Facts About the Bible. ... 21 
Is Any Part of the Bible Obsolete?... 9 

Is Polygamy Sin?.172 

Is Revelation 20:5 Spurious?. 19 

Is the Devil a Separate Entity or 

a Principle?.180 

Jacob and Esau.223 

“Jasher, The Book of”. 20 

Jephthah’s Daughter .231 

Jesus and the Sabbath Com¬ 
mandment .133 

Jesus, The Genealogy of. 28 

Judas. 208 

Judas Maccabeus . 18 

Justified Without the Law. 89 

Kingdom, A View of the Coming. 69 

Kingdom of God, The. 68 

“Kingdom of Heaven Suffereth 

Violence, The” .215 

Law, and the Heathen, The. 95 

and the Prophets, The. 91 

A Question on the. 88 

Deeds of the. 89 

for Righteousness, End of the. 96 

in Acts, The.148 

in Galatians, The.100 

Justified Without. 89 

Moral, The. 88 

of Ceremonies—or Decalogue?. 97 

Under the.90, 92 

Without the. 90 

“Let No Man Judge You”.150 

Life, Eternal, Have We It Now?.... 39 

Literal Resurrection, The.47 

Lord’s Day, What Is the?.114 


Page 

Lord’s Supper, How Often 

Celebrate? .200 

Lucifer and Babylon .....177 

Maccabeus, Judas. 18 

“Made Like Unto His Brethren”.... 31 

Man, Nature of. 39 

“Man Proposes; God Disposes”.221 

“Mark of the Beast, The”.145 

Marriage, and Divorce.168-176 

Christian, How Much Is 

Involved in? .168 

of Cousins .170 

Marriages, Unequal.174 

Marrying and Putting Away.171 

Millennial Reign, The. 67 

Miscellaneous .211-235 

Months, Not Years. 72 

Moral Law, The.88-106 

Mortal or Immortal?. 41 

Moses, Death and Body of. 46 

Multiplied Translations, Effect of... 10 

“Nailed to the Cross”.153 

Name of the First Church.195 

Nature of Man .39-61 

Narrow Way, The, and the Wicked. .220 

New Covenant, The. 156 

and the Sabbath, The.159 

Not Able to Kill the Soul. 51 

Number From Each Tribe, The. 71 

Oath, Taking an. 231 

Obedience, and Grace.104 

Old and New Style Calendar.129 

Old Testament, Prophets, Were 

They Mistaken ? . 76 

Scriptures, Reading the. 16 

On What Day Was Christ Crucified? 119 
Ordinance of Humility, see 
Feet Washing 

Origin of Races .227 

Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus 55 

Personality of the Spirit, The. 33 

Pharaoh’s Free Will.226 

Plagues, Egyptian, The Time of the 230 

Powers, The Higher.183 

Pre-existence of Christ, The. 25 

Prodigal Son, and Backsliding, The.. 188 
Pronouns in 1 Corinthians 15:25, 

The . 75 

Prophecy and the Second Advent.. 62-87 
“Prophet, False,” and “Beast,” 

Destruction of. 74 

Prophet, False, Used by God.229 

Prophetic Time .. 65 

Prophets, and the Law. 91 

Old Testament, Were They 

Mistaken ? 76 

Putting Away and Marrying.171 

Question, of Days, A.130 

of Divorce, A.170 

on the Law, A. 88 

Questions on Healing.207 

Races, Origin of.227 

Reading the Old Testament 

Scriptures . 16 

Reasons for Keeping Saturday.112 








































































































TOPICAL INDEX 


245 


Page 

References in the Revised Version.. 21 


Religious Liberty .. .183, 184 

Repeated Forgiveness.187 

Repentance, Gifts and Invitation 

Without ..215 

Rest That Remains, The.125 

Resurrection, Between Death and the 42 

Returning to God. 45 

Revised Version, References in the. .. 21 
Rich Man and Lazarus, Parable 

of the. 55 

Righteousness,” “End of the Law for 96 

Right to Keep Sunday, The.136 

“Rock” and “Stone”.197 

“Sabaoth” .221 

Sabbath, and Sunday.107-147 

and Temperance.137 

and the Gentiles, The.126 

and the New Covenant.159 

Commandment, and Jesus, The. . . 133 

Day of the.108 

Did the Apostles Change the ?.115 

for Israel, The.117 

for the Jews Only. 149 

From One, to Another.128 

Importance of the.107 

Salvation of Children.214 

“Sanctification” and “Regeneration” 188 

Satan .177-182 

Saturday, Reasons for Keeping.112 

Scripture Canon, The. 12 

Second Advent, The. 70 

and Prophecy .62-87 

Secret Fraternal Organizations.202 

Seeing God Face to Face.230 

Selling It Unto the Stranger.151 

Separation, but Not Remarriage. ... 172 

Seven Last Plagues, The. 81 

“Seven Times, The”. 77 

“Shall Never Die”. 43 

Signs of His Coming. 66 

Sin, and Crime.217 

Doth Not Commit.190 

Helpless in.185 

Unconfessed.185 

Unpardonable .161 

Willful.192 

Sinning Against the Holy Spirit.164 

Soul, Not Able to Kill the. 51 

the Word. 42 

Souls Under the Altar.52 

“Sound” and “Voice”.216 

Spirit, Personality of the. 33 

Unclean, of Luke 11:24-26 .181 

“Spirits in Prison”. 50 

Spiritual Bodies. 37 

“Stone” and “Rock”.197 

Sun and the Earth, The...176 

Sunday, Laws and Prohibition.132 

the Right to Keep.136 

Sun Standing Still, The.176 


Page 

“Taken Out of the Way,” Who Is?.. 83 


Taking, an Oath. 231 

One’s Brother’s Wife.169 

Temperance and the Sabbath.137 

Thief on the Cross, The. . 53 

Third Heaven, The.222 

“This Generation”. 84 

Those Who Fall Away.162 

Thousand Years, During the. 79 

“Thou Shalt Not Kill”.102 

Time of Egyptian Plagues, The.... .230 

Tongues, The Gift of.204 

To What Law?.152 

“Traditions” and “Fountains”. 22 

Translations, Effect of Multiplied... 10 

Tribe, The Number From Each. 71 

Two, Covenants in Galatians, The... 157 

Difficult Texts. 57 

Witnesses, The. 73 


Unclean Spirit of Luke 11:24-26, 

What Is the?.181 

Unconfessed Sin.185 


** .. vv, 

“Undying Worm”—“Unquench¬ 
able Fire”. 60 

Unequal Marriages .174 

Unpardonable Sin.161-167 

“Unquenchable Fire” . 60 

Usury, What Is?.224 

Various Texts on the Deity. 24 

Versions, Difference in. 15 

View of the Coming Kingdom, A. ... 69 
“Violence, the Kingdom of Heaven 

Suffereth” .215 

“Voice” and “Sound”.216 

Warning the Antediluvians. 63 

Way, Narrow, and the Wicked.220 

Were the Old Testament Prophets 

Mistaken ? . 76 

What Days?.152 

What Is the Lord’s Day?.114 

What Is the Unclean Spirit of 

Luke 11:24-26.181 

What Is Usury?.224 

When Was the Bible Compiled ?. 9 

Who Is “Taken Out of the Way” ?... 83 
Wicked, The, and the Narrow Way. .220 

Willful Sin.192 

Will God Leave Him?.189 

Witnesses, The Two. 73 

Woman’s Appearance in Public.209 

Word, “Soul,” The. 42 

Word, “Worlds,” The.218 

Words of the Covenant, The.155 

World, The Great Round.139 

“Worlds,” The Word.218 

“Worm, Undying”. 60 




































































































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